River Crossing

[Doc]

Crossing rivers in spate is dangerous - people have been killed in Scotland doing that. there is a lot of stuff on this in Ray's books and elsewhere.

However, a more common situation in Scotland is that you want to cross a burn/small river that is only about knee deep, not particularly fast, but there are no bridges/stepping stones.

How do you do it? I usually remove boots and socks, roll up trousers, put boots back on, wade across, empty out boots and put socks and boots back on. You still end up with wet socks though. I think this is preferable to wading barefoot, however.

Any better ideas? Would goretex socks be a good option? How good are Yeti gaiters- could you wade a foot of water in them and stay dry? How about Pole vaulting?

 

[tenbears10]

I've not had a pair but Yetis are supposed to be like wellies so they should be fine as long as the water isn't too high.

 

[tomtom]

yeties should be ok.. but if you catch your toe on a rock and the front lifts up then your going to get wet.ish.. depending on your boots..

personally depending on how deep/wide it is i normaly just plough through.. with boots one.. but then again i dont often ware boots.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Built a temporary bridge?

How wide are these burns? Maybe with a stout pole, you could "dike-hop".

Keith.

 

[george]

Doc, yeti's are great for exactly the situation you say - but glue the front rand down to the front of your boots with something like shoe goo glue. Even with normal gaiters if you move fast and the water doesn't come over the top you will stay dryish.

One tip if the water is deeper than gaiter top and you are wearing gaiters and waterproof overtrousers is to get two short buckle straps - like the ones you get on a rucksac for attaching side pockets etc. and use them to strap the bottom of the overtrousers very tightly on top of your gaiters at just below the top of your boots. You can make a pretty effective seal between gaiter, boots and overtrousers that way that will stop water getting in for a suprisingly long time. I've waded slow moving burns that were nearly waist deep on many occasions and been suprised at how well I can keep dry.

George

 

[Viking]

I usually use sandals, they don´t weigh much and dont take up much room and protect your feet when crossing a river.

I know Lundhags makes special cover boots that you put over your boots that many people use when crossing streams. But you could also use you waterproof pants, just make sure they sit tightly to your boots.

There are many ways, but walking around in wet boots it´s not a good idea...

 

[MartiniDave]

You can use a stout stick/staff for a kind of low altitude pole vaulting. Used to be the norm out in the fens where I was born. Evolved into a pseudo sport - dyke jumping.

Dave

 

[NickBristol]

Depending on the size of the stream I either do a 'chuck-the-rucksack-and-do-the-long-jump-after-it' technique which covers up to about 3 metres wide, or wade across in some really lightwight neoprene reef boots from Quiksilver. Sometimes in the summer it's nice to stop halfway across and cool my feet down and to look around. Odd how being stood in a stream somehow alters your perception of your environment...

 

[Keith_Beef]

You can use a stout stick/staff for a kind of low altitude pole vaulting ... dyke jumping.

That's what I meant.

Keith.

 

[MartiniDave]

Sorry Keith, didn't see your post as I skimmed through, keeping a lookout over my shoulder as it were!

Dave

 

[bambodoggy]

Hey Doc,

I'd say it's certainly worth having a go at the vaulting idea....

I have yeti gaiters on my Scarpa Attack boots but I have permanently superglued them to the boot...this helps a lot. George's idea of tying off the tops with a webbing strap or sting is a good one though... they are pretty good but you may still get a little damp (they aren't as good as wellies but they're not far off). The sandals idea is also a top one if you are carrying them....you are right not to go barefoot though...to much to go wrong.
Gortex socks would be of little use to you in this situation as the water will just seep down into them....where they would be useful is if you use your normal method...boots and socks off, trousers rolled up then boots back on...when you put the gortex socks on over your normal socks they will stop your socks getting wet from the wet boots.... or you could use sealsink socks to save carrying both normal and gortex.

If it's a wider stream it's also well worth while tying your bergan to your waist using a slip knot and some para cord (very loosely) and then undoing the waist belt and slipping one arm out of the shoulder strap...should you slip and go in you won't lose your bergan but more importantly it won't drag you away and possibly under.

Hope that helps Mate ):

 

[Keith_Beef]

Sorry Keith, didn't see your post as I skimmed through, keeping a lookout over my shoulder as it were!

Dave

Maybe you could do with a pair of these?

Keith.

 

[MartiniDave]

Just what I need Keith!
): ): ): ): ): :super:

 

[arctic hobo]

Depending on the size of the stream I either do a 'chuck-the-rucksack-and-do-the-long-jump-after-it' technique which covers up to about 3 metres wide, or wade across in some really lightwight neoprene reef boots from Quiksilver.

That's what I've always done.

 

[Pict]

When I am in the jungle it is often easier to move down streams than in the thickets alongside them. I carry a lightweight pair of sandals for this, the kind with the nylon and velcro straps that stay on your feet, dry quickly and don't absorb much water. They are really comfortable in camp when worn with socks as well. I also usually change into shorts and stuff all my kit into dry bags. Sometimes I've had to swim for short sections of stream due to sheer rock walls and such. It makes for an intresting hike.

I have a neat set of photos showing my daughter and I taking our packs across a water filled ravine in the jungle. The bottom was about 15 feet down, 30 feet wide and very slippery. It was a broken ankle for sure to try it with packs. I went across (chopped up a grove of bamboo for our camp) and rigged a tight line across on which we pulled the packs along with a carabiner. Mac

 

[Justin Time]

You can use a stout stick/staff for a kind of low altitude pole vaulting. Used to be the norm out in the fens where I was born. Evolved into a pseudo sport - dyke jumping.

Dave

I tried that last year... problem was the stream had quite a deep layer of silt on the bottom.. so the pole went in to the silt quite deeply.. which resulted in a much smaller arc than I had anticipated..meaning that I didnt get quite the distance needed.. which of course meant that my boots didn't land where I'd planned.. remember the silt was quite deep... resulting in something like the end of this video
:Crazy_071

 

[alick]

Yes to yeti's for this.

Nike make a type of sports "wet sock" for watersports like windsurfing - elasticated mesh slipper with a grippy wrap round rubber sole - these are also good for this sort of job, much lighter than wetsuit boots & quick drying.