Before You Step In 🧭

Give yourself room to move, to slip, to recover. Safety starts before the first foot touches water.

• 🎒 Unbuckle your hip belt and sternum strap. Loosen one shoulder strap so you can ditch your pack if you’re knocked off balance.
• 🌊 Pick wide and shallow over narrow and deep. Narrow channels often mean fast water and hidden drops.
• 🪨 Avoid hydraulics and recirculation behind boulders. Smooth surface ≠ safe—look for push and pull patterns.
• 🦯 Probe with a sturdy pole or trekking staff. Check bottom texture (rock, silt, gravel) and depth before committing.

Take one full minute to assess. It may save hours of consequence.

Three Ways Across 🚶♀️🚶♂️

1) Eddy Hop

Move between calm pockets behind rocks and bends. Rest, breathe, and plan the next short move — don’t rush continuous exposure.

2) Diagonal Face

Face upstream. Step sideways into the flow. Take small steps. Maintain three points of contact at all times. This builds stability instead of fighting the current.

3) Team Chain

Link partners at the hips, arms relaxed, strongest person upstream to break the current. Move like one animal—not three individuals.

Read the River Like Weather 🌫️

• 💧 Snowmelt peaks in the afternoon; morning crossings are safer.
• 🌙 Water almost always drops overnight.
• 🧊 Clear and cold water = low error margin. Move slowly and keep crossings short.

When in Doubt, Camp 🏕️

Pride pushes forward. Wisdom waits.
A tent, a meal, and a slower morning can turn a dangerous crossing into a safe one.

Water drops overnight more often than ego admits.