"The current leverages the pole against the pivot so current pushed it goes all the way across. You want to stay on the upstream side of the pole, I think."

I still think there's something wrong with your suggestion (nothing personal!)... I am not a good swimmer, and have a past history of nearly killing myself in water (not necessarily by drowning ), so maybe I am wary of scenarios like this, to the point of paranoia.

Here's what would probably happen to me:

First, I wait until you cut down and bundle your trees, waiting behind a rock to see what you've got in your PSK. When you're ready to try the Grand Experiment, I rush out and bash you in the head (unconscious, not dead) with a rock, and then hijack your tree. I also steal your PSK and your saw. And I found a plastic bag in your pocket.

I heard you talking to yourself about the upriver side being the best way to get across, and I figure you're probably right.

So I take off all my clothes and stuff them into your plastic bag and tie it closed with one of your shoelaces.

I walk into the river (BRRRRR!) beside the tree trunk on the upstream side, instantly losing all sensation in my feet except for pain. I wade out, gripping the branches and then the power of the rushing water hits me and knocks my feet out from under me (I can't feel them, but I've lost what was propping me up). I am suddenly on my back, still gripping a tree limb, and the force of the water is dragging the loose object (me) UNDER the tree. My death grip on my tree branch continues, even past the time the branch breaks. A dead branch on the under side catches me in the nostril and rips off my nose (can't feel it much, it's numb, too), and I get caught among other branches, held under the water. Remember the 3-minute rule?

The next day, my sister reports me missing and they find my truck and Dweste rummaging through it.

They find my cold, blue, dead, fish-nibbled, naked body downstream.

Then they go back upstream, handcuff Dweste and Mirandize him, accusing him of my murder, asking why he chopped off my nose.

How's that? I tried to cross your river and I'm STILL dead!

Now, had I stayed behind my rock and let YOU try to cross the river, I would have had a ringside seat to your poor decision, and believe me, I would NOT have done the same.

When the rescue people came, attracted by my signal fire, I would be happily living in my nest of conifer branches, cooking fish and freshly-dead animals that were washed downstream.

And since all traces of YOU would have vanished, all I would have gotten was a pat on my back on how smart I was not trying to cross the river.

Sue