For real there is a fricking thread about leaving your shoes on or not but not actual river crossing safety and strategy. Common PrepHole you can do better.
How do you deal with rivers that are swollen, or if it's dirty water? Have you ever been caught PrepHole by a flood?
in a situation like your OP pic the least safe thing you could do is try and cross that shit. you're safe on dry ground with plenty of wood and vegetation. unless you're somehow going to die if you stay there for half a day you're better off waiting it out or hiking downrivva to find a safer crossing. that is foolhardy and ill advised under pretty much any circumstance.
This is why the “shoes vs barefoot” thread is better. That thread is situational: temperature and the number of water crossings are important factors. But plenty of anons will chime in with autistic laser-focused predetermined answers.
OP’s pic isn’t questionable. You find a safer place, or wait it out.
Just out of curiosity are you from NZ? You sound like someone from NZ.
There is almost no situation where taking off shoes is appropriate unless it's just a b***h little sandy bottom clear creek that is too wide to jump.
There’s probably a suspension bridge a couple miles up. So no need to eat a poisonous berry that looks like the edible one or whatever.
>No biggie, I'm just gonna quickly wade across these little rapidsaaaaiiiieeeeeehhhhhhhh!!!
The best part is that you have him going upstream. There's a huge eddy in the lower left of this pic and the actual current is narrow and could be jumped through, although getting mostly immersed. Lrn2read water.
>NOOOOOO LE MEME IS NOT 100% ACCURATE AND THIS TRIGGERED MY INSUFFERABLE, PEDANDIC TENDENCIES NOOOO
This is incorrect, btw
Lel
>Lrn2read water
Why? If I’m there on person, I’ll obviously see which way the currents flowing.
one day latér
I do most decisions risk vs. reward. What do I gain from maybe nearly dying and getting soaked?
>Do you cross the river or not?
certainly not there.
I live in a forest with trees that grow hundreds of feet tall. There isn't a river near me that doesn't have a giant tree fallen across it every mile or so.
I bet that river has a crossable log jam within a few minutes walk of where this pic was taken.
It looks like the west coast on NZ. Log jams get btfo'd by floods. But there will be a narrow wider spot
>Log jams get [taken out by] floods
I didn't realize that even the trees in NZ were limp wristed effeminate homosexuals that can't even stand up to a little water.
I also live in an area with trees that have fallen across rivers, and I've used them before
but trees like that are incredibly slippery I'd still rather cross shallows than walk across a slippery tree over rapids
make sure your water bottles and bladders are empty and have air pumped into them for the latter. then you use a poncho or tarp and wrap it around your bacpack and goose neck it around the top, so it makes a boat of sorts. with this buoyancy you can cross lakes or rivers or whatever you need to.
If you absolutely have to cross a sketchy river, get a stick, and feel out ahead of you. With water you can never really tell the actual situation until you feel it. If you have a backpack that is heavy be ready to ditch it quick if you go under. Look if there are any spots to grab onto down river so that if you do get swept up you know to try to get to a specific target. Ideally look for better spots to cross, or wait things out.
Also don't underestimate tiny streams. A lot of ankles get broken stepping onto slippery rocks in tiny ass streams.
Assess things individually. If a river is swollen and moving I won't cross it if it's more than hip deep. Throw a stick in to see how fast it's flowing. The *do not cross* threshold is supposedly like 900 cu ft/second for rafting, but less 300 is more comfortable for fording. But I never liked that because it's not something you're going to be able to calculate on the fly. So I like to carry a string and wrap a stick and throw it at a few parts of the river to gauge flow speed. You ideally want less than 2 meters per second, known depth preferably less than groin level to minimize your surface area contact. And trekking poles or some walking sticks to stabilize yourself in the water. One stick should always be supporting you against the flow of water, the other should be feeling out your path.
>I like to carry a string and wrap a stick and throw it at a few parts of the river to gauge flow speed.
Why not just throw multiple sticks? Are there no trees in your country?
The string is white and has good contrast with dark ass water. Sometimes the sticks get lost on ya. Plus it's good to just have some string in the first place.
yes but not right there, upstream looks way safer.
common mistake with river crossings is to try the shortest ones but they are the fastes flowing and deepest ones. its the long and wide ones preferably with islands for rest thats safest. and always with boots on.
The rapids part looks easily jumpable. I'd clear that, land in the shallower water and then walk onto shore, ez
>I'd clear that, land
on unstable rocks, twist an ankle, fall on your back, smash your had on a rock. Now all your clothes are wet, your bleeding from the head and walking is painful.
Good Job!
Guess I'm just built different
Me on the left
wait, are you a river shitter or a face shitter? there is a distinction
In summer, yes. In that weather? I'd struggle not to get extremely cold and start getting stiff legs. If I had to, I could do it, but I'd prefer not to in winter.
try this
what if your party is a bunch of whussie 1's and 2's
Make them eat more meat.
Why does 3 start out in the river?
you should always keep one person in the river when hiking as an offering to the water spirits. that's why it has to be the strongest person, otherwise the spirits fee like you're cheaping out
The only time you should seriously consider swimming a cold swift river is if you'll certainly die if you don't. If the river is too wide to throw your outer layers across (tied into compact bundles) you'll have to make it to warmth before hypothermia happens. Swimming across might not kill you but you'll be cold on the other side, and you might only be wearing base layers. Cross at the head of a pool, or well above rapids. Dog paddle and keep your head above water.