Soft Creek Bottoms

[tvanwho]

What do you guys recommend for walking a creek where one encounters soft bottom pools that can be chest deep water and no way around it? I will be in a situation like this Labor day weekend and need to plan ahead? Need to get my little highbanker and camping gear past the spots too. Might float them in a large cement mixing tub with foam slabs bolted to the sides and a towrope but doubt it will support my 200 pounds too? Soft, gooey bottoms give me the willies as you can get stuck quite easy and nobody to help you?

-Tom V.

[Ridge Runner]

Maybe what you need is one plastic kids pool from Wal-Mart They are cheap and easy to blow up with your mouth. You can get them with one are two rings. When finish let the air out and don't take up a lot of space.
Chuck Anders

 

PS A solid plastic one may do you better. Light weight and don't have to worry so mush about punching a hole in it.

[Gold Seeker]

The tub for your gear and a truck inner tube for you.

[rumblefish]

Take a long stick/pole with you for poking into the ground that you can't see. Getting stuck in a pool on your own is not funny. Try to walk on rocks wherever possible. And always be sure someone knows where you are heading if you go out alone. For moving your gear you could maybe buy an inflatable dinghy (in the same vein as Ridge Runner's paddling pool suggestion). The rubber ring around the waist is not a bad idea also, if the pools are really treacherous.

[tvanwho]

Thanks,

Guess it won't be an issue for a while cause the property owner just had a severe flood.

There are 100 foot long trees lying horizontal in the creekbed.I've been going there 30 years but never seen it that bad. This is southwest Indiana. Fact is, has been difficult to do any gold mining this year due to non stop rains and high water in the creeks plus am hearing stories of Timber rattlers coming out of the woods and harassing the 2 legged critters hiking the trails.

supposedly they are endangered species and not to be killed, but if its a choice between a threatening snake or me, I will use my shovel, then bury the evidence...