People often ask what the most dangerous activities are in the wilderness. Surprisingly aside from "extreme sports", the most potentially dangerous and often encountered thing in the wilderness are river crossings. Here are a few tricks to make sure you make it to the other side of the river.
Always scout your crossings. Trails seldom if ever cross the river in the best spot! Take a little time and even take your pack off for a minute to find an easier crossing. Scout upstream and down. Look for potential hazards in the river, tricky footing swift currents deep holes etc. Once you find a good crossing always remember to look downstream several yards. What kind of obstacles are there? logjam?, rapids? Niagra Falls? Always think about where the river will take you if you do loose your footing.
Rule of thumb: Wide and shallow narrow and deep. All the water in the river has to be squeezed through little narrow channels and so the current is often swift and it could be very deep. Look for wide shallow bends in the river where the water has to slow down and spread out to make the turn. the footing is often easier and the current less swift.
Join us tomorrow as we talk a little more about river safety. Until then....see you Under Western Skies!
Under Western Skies is a unique Adventure travel company based in Bozeman Montana. We are new to the business but not new to the industry with nearly 20 years in the field of adventure travel, guiding and outdoor education. Raft a remote wilderness river, learn to flyfish, go horsepacking, or explore canyons in the desert southwest. Where will your dreams take you? Let us help get you there! See you Under Western Skies.
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