Stream crossings

[TwoSpirits]

I'm curious to hear people's experiences with stream crossings.

Obviously I'm not referring to those little streams that you can just step thru or rock-hop fairly quickly, but the larger streams that required a real wading ford. Were you prepared? What surprised you (depth, current, etc.)? Anything you would do differently now? What "lessons learned" would you offer to other hikers?

[Cookerhiker]

1. Trekking poles really help. I lengthen mine for the crossing such that they're longer than for woods hiking.

2. Plant the pole before each stride to make sure it's firm i.e. it doesn't slide off a rock or sink deeper than expected in the creek bottom.

3. Cross slowly

4. Avoid white water, even ripples if you can. A wider crossing without ripples is better than a short crossing with them. If you have to find a better place upstream or downstream, so be it.

5. Try to cross where the bottom is gravel, pebbles, sand, or mud rather than rocks. Large flat rocks can be easier than smaller ones where your feet and poles slip down into cracks but the large flat rocks can be slippery.

This advice is for an "average" crossing. Some are easier where you can just stride right across, some are more difficult.

[johnnybgood]

No AT wading streams by your description unless in Vermont and Maine during the spring when snow melt occurs.

[coach lou]

1. Trekking poles really help. I lengthen mine for the crossing such that they're longer than for woods hiking.

2. Plant the pole before each stride to make sure it's firm i.e. it doesn't slide off a rock or sink deeper than expected in the creek bottom.

3. Cross slowly

4. Avoid white water, even ripples if you can. A wider crossing without ripples is better than a short crossing with them. If you have to find a better place upstream or downstream, so be it.

5. Try to cross where the bottom is gravel, pebbles, sand, or mud rather than rocks. Large flat rocks can be easier than smaller ones where your feet and poles slip down into cracks but the large flat rocks can be slippery.

This advice is for an "average" crossing. Some are easier where you can just stride right across, some are more difficult.

2 more, I trout fish...........wear your sun glasses, they cut the glare so you can see where to step

and,......look for a wide section of river, bank to bank. More space, water is shallower <<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>sorry Cooker I didn't read all of yours

Wait, one more. Face upstream as much as possible, even side stepping if necessary

[yaduck9]

I'm curious to hear people's experiences with stream crossings.

Obviously I'm not referring to those little streams that you can just step thru or rock-hop fairly quickly, but the larger streams that required a real wading ford. Were you prepared? What surprised you (depth, current, etc.)? Anything you would do differently now? What "lessons learned" would you offer to other hikers?

Select the right shoes/boots. I had a pair of these http://www.amazon.com/Vasque-Mens-Br...owViewpoints=0 but I quickly found out that when the boots encountered the slime that grows on submerged rocks made standing/walking into a hazardous affair.


I have gone back to what I wore before, a merril shoe. No more issues.


Thank you REI for your return policy.

just my opinion.

[Malto]

Just did a half dozen or so waist high last weekend. Here's a few more.
1) cross at a 45 degree angle heading slightly downstream. That way you aren't fight the current.
2) scout out alternatives. I had to go 100-200 yards up and downstream to find a suitable place.
3) find areas where the current is split in multiple parts.
4) identify "hiding places" behind rocks mid stream where you can stop for a second in calmer water.
5) waterproof your gear even when it looks straight-forward. I didn't on one crossing and my foot slipped causing me to face plant in fast water. Water hit my phone through a slightly unzipped pouch and a zipper bag that must of had a pin hole.
6) take your time, see #2
7) keep your pack strapped to you. I know this defies much of what is written but a floppy pack could put you in the drink.

[Malto]

One more look at a topo map to see if the stream goes through flatter terrain. It will be slower and often wider and shallower in these areas.

[BirdBrain]

Also think in terms of volume of water being moved. I don't mind fast moving water in a wide spot that is near a fast moving water in a narrow spot. If the water seems to be running nearly the same speed in both spots, simple math dictates that the wider spot is much more shallow. A wide calm spot might mean a deep hole. Remember the old song, "you better look before you leap, still waters run deep." I don't look for calm waters.

[English Stu]

Sideways on to the flow is considered best; I use two poles and like climbing I try and get three solid points of contact before moving. Don't chance weighting your foot before being sure it is secure.

[Jelf]

Pack along a pair of cheap and light "Stream Defenders".
Here is a TR from the other Washington where I gave mine a test.
http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7967824

[MuddyWaters]

undo pack waistbelt and sternum strap so you can slip out of it , a pack that sinks can drown you if you fall
face upstream always, so current cannot buckle your legs. Anyone that says to go downstream hasnt crossed in strong current
use poles or a stick for stability
look for wide/deep/slow instead of shallow/narrow/fast. Narrow might look easier, its not
Avoid water over thigh deep

[Malto]

undo pack waistbelt and sternum strap so you can slip out of it , a pack that sinks can drown you if you fall
face upstream always, so current cannot buckle your legs. Anyone that says to go downstream hasnt crossed in strong current
use poles or a stick for stability
look for wide/deep/slow instead of shallow/narrow/fast. Narrow might look easier, its not
Avoid water over thigh deep

I did several very successful waist deep fast water crossings last weekend going downstream with pack buckled. It violated three of your points. If I didn't I would still be sitting in Montana next to the flathead river waiting for August. Here is the best explanation on a couple of points, namely pack buckled and downstream. One huge difference that probably can't be overlooked is pack weight. If you are carrying an 80l 50lb pack then it may make more sense. Ryan has much more experience than most of us put together. Read this: http://ryanjordan.com/blog/2009/02/w...rossing-myths/

[Malto]

One more point.... I know my pack floats. I suspect the vast majority of packs do as well. A 50L pack would have to weigh 110 lbs to sink. Not many are likely to have to worry about this. The logic of the unbuckling is that the pack will float, forcing your head underwater. The extent that this happens will definitely be dependent on pack size.

I did a very deep stream crossing a couple of years ago. I was crossing a deeper, slow moving stream. It ended up being much deeper than it looked and when it hit belly button high the buoyancy of the pack lifted my feet off the bottom resulting in a swim. In the case having the pack unbuckled or better yet worn on the front would have been easier. I ended up with an unexpected swim and a delibrate swim would have been a much better approach.

image.jpg

[MuddyWaters]

most packs fill up with water quickly, just like heavy clothing. A lot of people dont pack their stuff in a liner.
Duck hunters drown every year when they fall out the boat, inches from the boat
You have near zero manuverability in the water when connected to a heavy soggy weight
If you didnt plan and get to take a deep breath before going under, you will inhale water within a few seconds, there is no time to work to shed stuff.

I almost drowned as a kid when I fell in a lake with a winter jacket and blue jeans on, its a helpless feeling.

[Half Note]

Malt - that looks like some cold water there.

I second using poles, they've kept me from falling many a time.

[max patch]

My experience will not be the same as everyone else - depends on start date, direction, rainfall, etc - but on my NOBO thru which started on 5/1 I had no fords that required any specialized knowledge of any type. (Except knowing the kennebec ferry hours.)

[TwoSpirits]

Really excellent info folks, thank you.

I'm planning a SOBO attempt next year, starting in June, so I expect there is a possibility for a significant stream crossing in the early going at least, and want to prepare myself for that. Although I have little backpacking experience, I have spent a good amount of time canoeing rivers in Minnesota & Wisconsin; hopefully that will be useful experience when it comes to properly reading the water in front of me and scouting out an appropriate spot to cross.

I know that in the day hiking that I have done, I've slipped and wet my butt on what looked like should have been EASY stepping...so the advice and suggestions from your experiences is noted and much appreciated.