'When the upstream end and payload were pushed into the current of a 12 foot ditch filled with fast flowing water, the current relatively rapidly swung the floating "pole" across to the other side, as the downstream end stayed in place and "hinged" on its tether to allow the door-closing effect.'

So how did you cut a 50' tree down with the contents of your PSK???

I did something like that when I was about 12, but I was the payload and I didn't use a tree. I tied a clothesline rope to some roots that were on the edge of river, the other end around my waist, and tried to get across the San Gabriel River (CA) in the water like Tarzan would swing from a tree. The riverbed was maybe about 5-6' deep in the center.

The force of the water swung me to the center of the river just fine, but there I stayed. It felt like the water coming down the river along the opposite side was trying to force me back to the original side, both sides pushing against each other, holding me in the middle -- I wasn't going anywhere but I remember the rope getting tighter. I called to my sister to pull the rope. I MEANT her to pull on it while it was still tied. No, she untied it and it was pulled out of her hands. So I went with the current down the river. The water was faster in the middle than it had looked from shore. Too fast to stand up or anything like it. I tried to float, but one foot got hooked on a branch or something and I spun around so I was going down headfirst instead of feet first. Then I slammed into a boulder and some big branches and came as close to being knocked out as ever in my life. Then a man grabbed my arm and dragged me up on the rock, gasping, choking, crying and trying to vomit. The nice Mexican man just patted my shoulder and said something in Spanish. He said it kindly, but he could have been saying I was an incredible idiot and he hoped his kids would never be that stupid.

Anyway, there is a difference between floating and being the anchor...

But I must say that you kept me entertained for almost four boring hours on I-5 last night! Thanks!

I thought of every survival scenario that could be on my side of your river, and compared each one to the dangers of crossing the river.

1. Avalanche. Die under the debris, or drown in the river under the debris? A: Try to get downhill ASAP and wait for the debris flow to settle. Maybe there was enough debris to fill the river and plug it, and I could walk across.

2. Blizzard. If I’m dry, it would seem that that would be an advantage over getting wet in a blizzard. A: Break off as many conifer branches as a I could and pile them over me.

3. Earthquake. There might be trees and moving debris coming down the river. Getting in the river could be like a really bad game of pinball. A: Wait and see if anything happens that could improve the situation.

4. Fire. Here, the river might be my friend. A: Sit/lie in the shallow edge of the river, away from the trees and hope the fire burns out/dies out really soon. If it jumps the river and sets my vehicle on fire with all my gear in it, I’m probably screwed anyway.

5. Thunder/lightning Storm. Visualizing being struck by lightning in the river doesn’t sound good. A: See #2 above, try to insulate against a lightning strike, too.

6. Flash flood. The water is getting higher, faster, and has more chunks of debris in it. A: WHAT options?

7. Hail. Getting brained in a torrent seems stupid. A: See #2 again, pile them up at the base of the biggest oak tree.

8. Heat wave. Over exerting is just begging for trouble. A: I’ve got shade and water, what more do I need? The other side is just as hot!

9. High winds. With my luck, I'd be blown downstream into those willow 'strainers' that catch and drown bodies. A: Look around for some large rocks or a soil mound and lie on the leeward side.

10. Freezing temps/ Ice Storm. Dying of hypothermia sounds bad. A: See #2 again, wait for the river to freeze, then walk across.

11. Volcano eruption. Lahars and lava roll down the rivers… and I want to be in the path of a 15-ft high mass of boiling mud, trees, boulders, vehicles and dead cows? A: Stay away from the trees. Maybe I should get religion...

12. Wild-animal rampage. A: Hide in the trees and maybe they will all run into the river and drown.

13. One of those really big power line towers falls and the wires are sparking and electrifying the river! A: Hmmm... do I have my cell phone? Can I call the power company and ask them to turn off the juice so I can use the tower as a bridge?

14. Ted Bundy’s psychotic twin brother is coming over the hill with a butcher knife in hand. A: HA! FINALLY! Someone to vent my frustrations on, and it could all be chalked up ‘self defense’! Leave him in the sun after killing him, let him start to ferment, and use him as a flotation device to cross the river!

Dweste, the problem with this scenario is that your river is the worst of the problems!

Sue