River crossings
- Thread starter KeikoOka
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freedommachine
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If it is an easy stream, just leave youe shoes/boots on and go! If it is fast moving use hiking poles or find some sticks to help you stay upright, remember to keep your feet as low as possible to the bottom and walk at an angle up stream to the other side with your shoes on. Remeber to put your camera/phone or whatever in somthing water proof in case you fall in.
Me and my wife have had to cross many creeks even on roads before we got our jeep that can just cross them with ease. Going up in the mountains of the pacific northwest a lot of forest service roads go through creeks. So we would park and continue on foot.
Me and my wife have had to cross many creeks even on roads before we got our jeep that can just cross them with ease. Going up in the mountains of the pacific northwest a lot of forest service roads go through creeks. So we would park and continue on foot.
freedommachine
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Oh yeah I almost forgot. If the water is cold and you dont want to get wet. Carry a couple of hefty trash bags,put them over your legs,like hip waiters to keep you dry.
Heres my wife and dog crossing a creek.Notice the snow in the backgroung,we spent about 4 hours in the snow hiking at about 8000 feet up before we got to this creek. The water was over her waiste.
Heres my wife and dog crossing a creek.Notice the snow in the backgroung,we spent about 4 hours in the snow hiking at about 8000 feet up before we got to this creek. The water was over her waiste.
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freedommachine
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That what my wife was wearing in that picture. We always have water shoes just for times like that. Summer times not so much as our feet can dry pretty quick, but spring with all the snowmelt it is a good thing to have so you dont have wet cold feet walking in snow
freedommachine
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I usually carry zip lock baggies if I do stream crossings. The bagies can have many other uses as well. When you keep your feet low when crossing a stream there is less to contend with. Keepingg them low means your are only moving your feet forward.If you are lifting your feet then you are moving them forward and trying to push your foot back down in the water, so more to deal with. Plus you have more of a positive contact keeping your feet low, as oposed to being up on one foot while the water is pushing you and trying to get your other foot back down.
IndianaHiker
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Didn't you have to do any stream crossing when you were on the AT?
Jobiwan
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Oh my. Bwahahaha. Thanks for the laugh, IH! I was expecting someone to respond in this fashion. First impressions DO last for a very long time.
No offense, KeikoOka but maybe you shouldn't have claimed to have thru-hiked the AT when you (admittedly) section hiked it. Especially in a forum that has many experienced folk responding.
To answer your questions though...
1. What do you do if you come to a trail that stops and picks up on the other side of the water? I cross the water in a safe manner or if too high and/or swift I find a safer place to cross.
2.I have seem a couple places like this and wonder why you have to go over the stream for the trail. To get to the other side, of course.
ChadTower
Active Member
+1
I use sandals with heavy grip tread on them. They are a little bit heavier but also more useful as general footwear.
I would be very wary of trash bags as waders. If the water has any current to it they would easily rip and fill up. Now you've got a trash bag filling up , dragging you down and potentially downstream. Good river shorts won't be saturated when you get to the other side and will dry in minutes. Might have to take off the underpants and go commando if you want those to stay dry, though.
IndianaHiker
Active Member
I am honestly not trying to be a jerk. Sorry if I came off that way. Some here may even tell you I am a pretty decent guy.
I was under the impression that KeikoOka completed the AT in sections which would indicate a pretty experienced backpacker. I was just surprised that this person wouldn't have had the water crossing experience. I must have misread before and that the AT experience was section/s of the trail not the whole trail in sections.
Once again I hope I didn't offend regardless of what was hiked I respect everyone that gets off the couch and out there.