Segment 2, January 13th, 2024

Of course with the recent rains that we’ve gotten over the past weeks it has brought cause for those of us travelling in water.  Of course, recognizing how we’re travelling in our car is one thing but what about those folks that are in the back country?

Your host, Bill Bartee, on this edition of the Carolina Outdoors, shares how to be educated & careful about crossing a stream or river when out on a hike or fishing trip.  Now it may seem silly to many of us. Why would anyone be out in this weather?  But it happens. Plus, high water can happen in the mountains on a blue bird day when a storm is occurring in a place that we can’t even see.  This makes it an always important topic on the Carolina Outdoors.

So we’re going to look at it from a Southeastern perspective.  We won’t necessarily talk about ice bridges and glacial run off as much as they would in the Rockies. But all the things that we do talk about will be universal.

We’ll also talk about these river and stream crossings from a backpacking, hiking, & fishing perspective.  These category of activities many times bring us these decisions & how to tackle the objectives.  These answers are all general and one should go with their best decision dependent on their comfort level, expertise, and confidence in their abilities.

1. When you come to a challenging water crossing on a trail…look for other options.  You can go upstream and downstream looking for a better choice that the trail crossing.  Things to note on making this decision.
   
   1. How fast is the current?  Picking slower (but maybe deeper) water is many times better than a shorter cross in dangerously fast water.
      
   2. What is downstream? If there are objects like felled trees, potential undercurrent ledges & boulders then you should cross below those objects.  They can act as entrapments that hold you down and can be dangerous.  Logs and trees with branches underwater are called strainers and they are dangerous.
      
   3. If it is a sizable crossing look for islands or rest places that you can get to before continuing across
      
   4. If you find a log then judge its security, its branches, is it rotten or dilapidated, & your potential to fall from it.
      
   
   
2. Make a good decision regarding the crossing. Judge your skill, your team, your strength, & the weather, environment, & results from getting wet.  If you have to make another choice (leaving the trail, setting up camp, or backtracking) decide what those results may be before crossing.
   
3. Once you decide: Choose a place across the stream to work towards. Wade at an upstream angle
   
4. Hikers: when you’re crossing:  Keep your boots on, they help with protection and support in the current and travelling over rocks and gravel.  Loosen the straps on your pack.  Work at an upstream angle.  It helps keep you from being pushed backwards.  Utilize a hiking pole, wading staff, or stick so that you have three points of contact.  Keep your stick or wading staff upstream (but this changes if you’re crossing with another person or group)  If a fall is eminate then throw your pack towards your destination
   
   1. Anglers that may not have a wading staff. You can get a stick or put your rod in your downstream hand and point it downstream.  It is surprising how it can help you maintain balance during a crossing
      
   2. Don’t move your foot until the other foot is firmly planted
      
   3. If you hit a bottom that is soft mud or suction oriented then back up and make another choice. It’s not worth getting stuck in mud like that.  If you do get into a suction situation then bend your knee, lift your heel and raise your foot to help break the suction.
      
   
   
5. Anglers that may be crossing together:  Link arms,
   

The stronger person or better balanced should be the upstream crosser with the other downstream (don’t have an argument streamside about who is stronger).  The upstream person should manage the rods and the downstream person manage the wade staff in their downstream arm. Make sure that you don’t have any gear that may get stuck together.  If one person falls then the other will too.

6. Recognize that water is always fastest at the surface & slower underneath. Shuffle those feet to keep contact with the bottom, slower water area.
   
7. If you fall, Keep your head upstream, don’t try to remove your waders, keep your feet and legs high so that they don’t become entrapped underwater. Remember having those back pack straps loosened. Keep you pack on until it becomes a hindrance (or when you fall).  Throw it as far towards your destination goal.  (you don’t want your pack to kill you but you also have to remember the situation without potentially having  your gear:  bag, tent, clothes
   
8. If you fall in your waders don’t panic. They won’t weigh you down.