Question about crossing a swollen river on the Pacific Crest Trail

Last weekend, I was hiking a part of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington state. The spring snowmelt had swollen a river along the path. I stopped to scout for a crossing point. After a few minutes, I noticed a line of rocks creating a shallow passage. Using my trekking poles for balance, I made it across dry. This little success kept my gear dry and spirits high. I'm curious how others handle similar situations on remote trails.

3 comments

3 Comments

noahjenkins1mo ago

Yeah, that story about your buddy is exactly why the poles are so key. Just hopping rocks is asking for a swim. What you did was smart, scouting and then using your poles like extra legs to test each step. I always plant my pole upstream to break the current's force, and I never cross my feet, just shuffle sideways. That three-point stance with two poles and a foot planted makes a huge difference on slippery river rocks.

schmidt.brooke1mo ago

Oh man, my buddy had the worst time with something like that a few years back. He tried to cross a melt-swollen creek up in the North Cascades without scouting first, just went for the most obvious spot. He got cocky and didn't use his poles, just tried to hop rocks. Slipped on a wet one, went in up to his waist, and his pack got soaked. It was a total washout that forced him to cut his trip short a whole day early. I mean, it really drilled into my head to always take those extra minutes to look for a better spot.

umaf441mo ago

Ugh, that feeling of a soaked pack is the worst. I had a close call like your buddy's last season, water was way colder and faster than it looked from the bank. Now I just accept that I'm gonna add at least twenty minutes to find a good spot, even if it means walking up or down stream a ways. That dry gear feeling is totally worth the extra time, keeps the whole trip from going sideways.