To cross a river ...

I've been contemplating a scenario where I need to cross a slow-ish river (Class 1-2) with only the tools in my pocket and the clothes on my back. Probably a major glitch when hiking or canoeing solo. Estimate 100 yards of moving water as an average distance. And I'm a lousy, lousy swimmer.

Techniques? Other considerations? What say you?

Survival and hiking books cover this extensively; tools, where to cross and even primitive boat building. Its good to know

Teacher

Didn't we have a thread similar to this a year or so ago? Having fished the corpses of those who attempted to cross rivers of this nature and given your constraints, my comment would be - don't cross the river......

I remember that one, hikermor. I think it was a winter scenario from Dweste. As I recall, he took quite whipping over that one.

Water and non-swimmers make me nervous, Doug. Depends on how deep, how fast and how cold, but I'd recommend a life jacket and swimming lessons as a starting point. Just remember that sometimes the ability to swim is irrelvent. Stay safe!!

how to cross a mountain stream, the us army way:
crossing a stream

Phew! It seems I have angered the gods.

Thank you all for your concern. Let me assure you I have no suicidal tendencies. Couple that with a healthy respect for the power of moving water.

We are not talking about a swift, deadly cold mountain stream here. I have canoed many happy miles on the river in question. I have a fair sense of its moods, its sweepers, where an eddy might form, and most importantly when to stay off (ice, breakup, flood stage). I have also floated several spring miles in a lifejacket just for fun. (Not related to canoeing, for the record.)

Still, I duly ponder the (unlikely) scenario of needing to cross without my usual kit, especially considering that bridges on the upstream sections are an hour's drive apart.

LOL! I think it's safe to say worried, not angered.

What's your primary concern: How to get yourself across? (i.e. walking, floating, navigating, etc.) Choosing the safest route? Staying dry as you cross? Getting across with someone else? (i.e. a dependent) Getting warm and dry afterwards? Not getting stuck in debris? Predators?

This is angering the gods: http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=214267&page=1

I'll save you some time. Become a better swimmer. Then worry about what the Internet thinks about crossing rivers.

In April a group of us backpacked the eastern 80 miles of the Ozark Highlands Trail which ends with a ford of the Buffalo River at Woolum. We started the hike on a weekend of one of the last big cold fronts so our low temps were in the low 20's. By Tuesday the temps were getting warmer but there was another front coming Thursday night and we were planning to cross the Buffalo River on Saturday. We increased our mileage and did get out on Thursday afternoon when it was warm. We found our upstream area where crossing was recommended. It was over the waist and the water was moving and slightly wanting to lift your body weight off the river bottom. I was a bit nervous, but we managed to get across without swimming ; ).

Basic rule of thumb - if the stream is above the knees, find another way.

If you are in the army and being shot at, more expedient and risky methods may be appropriate.

Yeah, good advice. I have some talents, but swimming is not among them. Need to keep trying I guess.

For a river this size, I think even a decent swimmer would want some extra flotation to make it across comfortably. I have an approach that I can test under controlled conditions, if only to satisfy my curiosity on the subject.

Thanks for the feedback.

If you think that floatation might be useful, and there is a bridge about an hour away, the correct choice is pretty obvious.

I see by the papers that yet another visitor has gone over the brink at Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park. Sigh....When will they ever learn?

I've swum across the Delaware River and back at least once a year for the past 25 years. The spot I normally cross is about 400 feet across, on a relatively straight and calm segment of river. I am not a particularly strong swimmer or otherwise athletic. I just take my time and plug away. Some days I've swum back-and-forth twice, once three times. Sometimes I've worn a dry bag style day pack with lunch, hiking shoes, socks, shirt and a towel. But usually I just swim for the pleasure of swimming and come right back.

When the current is calm I aim for a rock directly across from where I enter the water, so I actually have to angle upstream to compensate for the current. But when the current is moving more swiftly I just swim perpendicular to shore and wind up wherever the current leaves me, walking upstream so my return trip puts me more or less at my starting point. But there are also times when the current was too strong to attempt, or once I got into the swifter water in the middle realized it was too strong and turned back.

There are several other spots on the river where the current is usually calm enough to swim across, and one spot where you can practically walk across the entire river, except for one short 50 foot channel. You need to study the current at different spots across the river. It can be calm 50 feet from shore then moving quickly in the center. Watch the debris float by, look for ripples in the water.

I've also swam and waded across the Raritan River and South Branch of the Raritan River in NJ. I got cocky on the South Branch and tried wading across just a few yards from a low damn. Got about mid-thigh and found myself stuck by the force of the water. Couldn't lift my foot to take a step without getting knocked over. Wound up going over the damn, fortunately only about 2' high, but got several bruises from the experience. I learned my lesson and give falls and damns a wide berth.

You were very lucky. Low head dams are known as drowning machines due to the hydraulics, in which there is a back flow (roller/backwash). This back flow (roller/backwash) causes the person, boat, etc., to recirculation within the roller/backwash. The only way I know of to break the pattern, is to go to the very bottom of the roller/backwash and try and catch the outflow. One problem is that is often where there is considerable debris in this area, which can be very large. Low head dams are designed to break up large objects such as logs to prevent damming of the river. Often there will be large grate-like structures to assist in the breakup.



Pete

Pete, normally I would agree. But in this case the water was only around 3' deep on the upstream side and less than 18" on the downstream side. It was hand stacked rocks used just to make a pool for fishing/swimming. It was definitely a lesson-learned in terms of how powerful a seemingly small flow of shallow water can be.

I am glad you came out of it safely.

Pete

Water Temperature will also make a big difference in how and if you can cross a water obstacle.

It may not seem like much, but this 'little creek' is very powerful and learning when and where you can cross a water obstacle is a life saving survival skill.

I just got stopped this week trying to cross a creek (Hummingbird Creek in the Eastern Slopes of the Alberta Rockies; Link to Google Map Location I took with my Spot) in the Rockies due to a Combination of High Water/Fast Flowing Water and Very Cold Water Temperature.

i.e. if the Water had been Warmer I may have pushed across anyhow in spite of the Fast Waist Deep Water. In this case it was so cold and I stopped a third of the way across. I actually tried slightly upstream of the picture where the creek broke up into two streams and I could find two locations to cross that were a little shallower. Good Scouting of better locations can make a difference but it this case it did not help.

Over time I have learned that if is is difficult to cross in the morning when the flow rates are slow, then it will be impossible to cross in the evening when you get back. This is a major factor as I consider a Water Crossing and or in this case decide to turn back once I enter the Water. I also unbuckle my pack, walk upstream when I cross, and use a staff for extra support when I cross.

Not stopping is a survival situation in the making. Many individuals and groups get trapped each year in the wilderness when flow levels change on hot spring afternoons.

Do not take the crossing of Water Obstacles lightly, each crossing will have its own potential problems and possible consequences, including the possibility of being swept down stream.