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tillepotro
01-08-2011, 22:11
What time of the year are streams worst here? I have a friend doing a PCT hike through and considered doing the Muir with him, but streams are a real concern to me.

fiddlehead
01-08-2011, 22:14
They are at their worst when the snow melts.
Normally that is about when the PCT thru-hikers hit the JMT.
Good luck. THe JMT in June has some of the toughest fords I've done.

Study some technique and don't hesitate to spend time looking for the best spot to cross.
It's often right where the trail is but not always (and if the trail is snow covered, you won't know where it is anyway)

tillepotro
01-08-2011, 22:28
Thanks. I know that early in the year, there would be more snow in the passes that I'd rather not deal with. Funny being from Minnesota but getting around in snow would be terrible at best. I know it's hard to say this far out, but do you think that if I hit in June or July would there be that much of a difference if it's like it normally is?

Blissful
01-09-2011, 22:59
Study some technique and don't hesitate to spend time looking for the best spot to cross.
It's often right where the trail is but not always (and if the trail is snow covered, you won't know where it is anyway)


What are some techniques?
I HATE river crossings, I must say. And are crocs good to use?

Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-10-2011, 11:47
What are some techniques?
I HATE river crossings, I must say. And are crocs good to use?

make sure your pack is loose so you can get out of it in case you slip and the current grabs you. Use your poles if you have them to have better balance, extend them to a longer length if possible because most crossings are filled with boulders and the poles will go into the gaps while you walk on top. Use a stick if you don't have poles.

Face upstream and form a square with your feet and poles, wear some sort of crossing shoe if you have it to reduce the risk of losing your footing because you step on something sharp. Move one support point at one time, keeping a solid triangle of three support points at all times. Dont cross legs, don't rush. If things feel they get too fast and too deep, turn back and look for a different place to cross.

Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-10-2011, 11:50
What time of the year are streams worst here? I have a friend doing a PCT hike through and considered doing the Muir with him, but streams are a real concern to me.

generally, the melt begins in May in full force, but if the weather is cold in spring plus there's a lot of snow (100% of normal = a lot for runoff in late spring), you can see deep crossings all the way into early July.

This was a small stream south of Silver Pass last year in mid July - in a drier year you can hop from boulder to boulder and move on.

http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/gallery/JMT2010/20100717/slides/DSC_1402.jpg