We had a three boat trip, on the end of our second lap on the Middle Fork Smith's Patrick Creek Run. I was tired from 5 hours on the water was we approached the very last rapid on the run, a small drop just above the Panther Flat takeout. I boofed a rock on the right at the top of the rapid, not thinking far enough ahead downstream. I landed further right than desirable, and quickly realized the approaching collision course. There is a larger boulder on river right that most of the current deflects off to the left, pouring over the short 2-3' drop into the takeout pool. I tried hard to work left of the boulder and miss it, but broached on the rock. Just before impact, I leaned heavily into the rock. My boat crossed over a small rock, just upstream of the boulder and below the surface, which pinned me onto the boulder (41.84346, -123.93327).
Thankfully because of leaning before impact, my boat had pinned with my upstream edge high; all the water was passing safely underneath my boat. Although I couldn't budge the boat off the rock from my position, I was really stable. My two friends looked upstream for me immediately after eddying out in the pool below, and shouted if I was okay. I gave the okay signal and shouted "I'm stable" as they quickly discussed one person staying in their boat to collect gear if necessary and the other to make contact with me. At this point, I felt that I could safely climb out of the boat onto the boulder, but quickly decided that it would be foolhardy to try before my buddy was right next to me in case it went awry. He made contact and asked if I could push off the rock, I made an attempt to show that I couldn't. We briefly discussed options and he offered to shove my stern forward to push me off the pin out into the current, and I agreed. Pushing with my paddle and him behind me slowly worked my boat out of the pin, into the current, and to the pool below - thankfully still in my boat.
I'm very appreciative to my friends Nick & Jon for their help, and will be more cognizant of the effects of fatigue and class III complacency. I'm also grateful to have read Charlie Walbridge's Whitewater Rescues, and so knowing how to slightly mitigate an imminent pin.
