Whitewater Forum: Ingalls Creek Carnage

Ingalls Creek Carnage

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URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10917
Printed Date: 03 Nov 2025 at 5:32pm

Topic: Ingalls Creek Carnage

Posted By: doggievacation
Subject: Ingalls Creek Carnage
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2011 at 8:36pm

Got pitoned and briefly pinned on Ingalls Creek this morning, just above the confluence with Peshastin Creek. Fortunately, it was a head-up pin and as water was loading up on my boat it pivoted off the rock with a little help from a forward stroke/brace. Once free, the bow popped up and I saw that I had a huge, gaping crack in the bow of my Dagger Mamba. (The crack is over 23 inches long! See pix in gallery.)

Made my way to an eddy on river left just below the confluence with water sloshing around my legs. After a bit of a breather, Texas Dave convinced me that the best plan was to paddle my boat back over to river right, so I could get out on Hwy 97. That actually went very well since I had a nice section of Class II water to cross. Out on the highway, I don’t think I had my thumb out more than five or six minutes before Samson drives by (on his way from Seattle) and makes the save! Great timing!

The flow during our run was about 700 on the Peshastin gauge. I could definitely tell there was more water in Ingalls than the previous day when we ran it at 590 (on the Peshastin gauge.)

Many thanks to Texas Dave & Arn for their on-water help and to Samson, Ben, and Ellie for their timely arrival on the highway. I hope you guys had a good clean run.

John

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Don't waste water!

Replies:

Posted By: Wiggins
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2011 at 1:31am

That's not so bad! Get a plastic welder, some mesh, and a lot of duct tape and you can keep her going!

Kyle

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I smell bacon

Posted By: tradguy2
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2011 at 1:46pm

Yeah, Ingalls definitely has some bag spots. My party had a pin and broach on Saturday. Be careful, scout, and bring your pin kits.

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... preparing for a river beating!

Posted By: doggievacation
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2011 at 3:34pm

Yep. Whoever wrote the run description for the PP Riverpage did a good job. Here's the money quote: "Stay on your toes- the last 100 feet can be really manky and serve up pitons or pins."

The rock I pitoned/pinned on was only about 25 feet from the confluence, hidden in the froth just downstream in a slot between two visible rocks. I saw Dave hit something in there ahead of me, so I tried to get further to the left to avoid it. Unfortunately, that only made matters worse. I'd say we were just right of center in the stream bed. Harder to the left would have been better.

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Don't waste water!

Posted By: BRoss
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2011 at 8:05pm

Glad you are ok John! Way to stay cheerful after such an incident! Nice opportunity to get into a medium Burn

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"That boated a lot better than it looked." "It always does until it doesn't."

Posted By: KBfree
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2011 at 10:13am

I know the exact spot you are talking about. I was in my play boat waiting at the confluence and saw at least 4 people piton's. Its right in the river center about 50-70 yards up from the confluence.

I scouted for it briefly yesterday when I drove by and of course it looks like nothing is there. I'm going to stay high on the right for the run out my next trip down Ingalls.

Kirk

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Kirk B

Posted By: doggievacation
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2011 at 10:35am

Kirk, further right might work, but there's more current on the right side than on the left side (and maybe more hidden pin rocks, I don't know.) I just wonder if you can cut back hard left after the island and get out of the main flow. Anyhow, the center line looks clean, but it's not!

Ben, I don't know if I'd use the word "cheerful" to describe how I feel. Basically, I'm just happy that I was so lucky after my piton. I pinned head up, it only lasted a few seconds, I had a (rare) eddy to head for immediately after I came free, and I had Arn and Dave both ready to give me as much assistance as I needed. And then I got picked up by you guys on the highway immediately afterward! So, yeah, I was unlucky to piton and destroy my boat, but I was very fortunate the way things worked out after that. (And that makes me happy!)

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Don't waste water!

Posted By: arnobarno
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2011 at 3:12pm

FWIW, I ran the further right line and it was clean. Pretty easy decision for me to run that way as I saw John momentarily pinned further left ;-)

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arn9schaeffer@gmail.com (remove 9 for my real email address)

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