Author Topic: Tips for crossing streams?  (Read 14175 times)

Owen

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #30 on: 20:23:27, 09/12/15 »
Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Rattle snakes? Next time I meet any of these in Scotland I'll let you know. You'll probably hear me scream.

Doddy

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #31 on: 21:09:04, 09/12/15 »
Sorry for the thread drift. I also posted on this on whiteblaze,net and one of the posters came up with this; poisonous snakes swim higher in the water. With a Cottonmouth, most of their body is above the surface when swimming. With the common water snakes, they swim lower, with usually only their heads sticking out.

source  http://www.livescience.com/43597-facts-about-water-moccasin-cottonmouth-snakes.html

I had already come across two Cottonmouths in the southern states, one with a mouse in its mouth, how I spotted it on the trail in front of me I will never know; I gave it about five metres space! So in Georgia I was keen to glean some information from this snake guy. He was knowledgeable and clearly experienced though he didn't have to know much to know much more than me.

In the Sierras I dodged off the trail to the brush for a call of nature and when walking through the brush I thought what am I doing here in Rattler territory.
 
Another tip I picked up is not to stride over a big log before looking over the other side- a prime snake spot.


legs-o-lead

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #32 on: 09:56:09, 10/12/15 »
Sorry for the thread drift.

That's one of the things I love about this Forum is the way threads weave about and just how much stuff people actually know.....  :D
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Doddy

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #33 on: 14:43:15, 14/12/15 »
Yep, on Youtube there is snake swimming info i.e Chased by a nest of cottonmouths - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=314N7xIeRR8.
 About 18 minutes in on this video it shows the cottonmouth and a water snake swimming styles.

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #34 on: 15:11:26, 01/01/16 »
Study your OS map carefully.
Anyone familiar with the Caseg Valley near Bethesda,will see that meandering river flowing from Cwm Caseg below Yr Elen and Foel Grach.


After heavy rain, the water source becomes almost uncrossable, you have to literally walk the three miles up the very secluded Carneddau valley until the river narrows.


All rivers or streams are featured clearly in blue on OS maps, study the contours carefully and you should eventually see the narrowest or safest place to navigate it safely.


The Caseg Valley allows no crossing opportunities, other less wild locations with careful map reading should provide a walker with valuable safe crossing information.

fernman

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #35 on: 16:30:56, 01/01/16 »
That was my experience with the Afon Caseg in 2003, when I had planned to walk southwards on a footpath shown on the 1:25k map that crosses the river at SH651664.
Putting aside the fact that the path does not exist on the ground, as I found out, the river was also swollen and absolutely uncrossable. I imagine that only in very low-water conditions would you be able to hop across on rocks.
My only alternative would have been to go westwards all the way down to Gwernydd where I believe there is a footbridge, and then come back to Cwm Llafar. It was a very big detour from what I had intended, so I altered my route, with the weather being the major deciding factor, for the tops were disappearing under clouds while the wind was building up to a big blow. 

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #36 on: 18:00:23, 01/01/16 »
Yep, sounds like good old traditional Carneddau weather.
Get the right weather conditions, preferably in high summer, and the lofty Carneddau are the stuff of dreams.
Ive ventured amongst them a few times, and love the Cwm llafar horseshoe and Cwm Egiau horseshoe, but that Caseg river is a real nuisance at times.

sunnydale

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #37 on: 08:53:30, 02/01/16 »
I remember rearranging boulders in a stream once, creating my own personal set of stepping stones to get across.....
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Summit

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #38 on: 02:46:38, 03/01/16 »
I remember rearranging boulders in a stream once, creating my own personal set of stepping stones to get across.....


Doesn't that mean you had to get into the stream then dip your hands into the water to move the boulders.
 :D
I'm not sure that's an effective way to keep you dry lol ;D ;D ;D
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Doddy

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #39 on: 12:05:41, 04/01/16 »
I have not chucked boulders into streams, but have in big puddles, the rocks never quite land where you want them and they can be unstable; worth a try though.

Strider

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #40 on: 21:02:44, 13/02/16 »
Not all those who wander are lost

Roobarb

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #41 on: 00:14:59, 14/02/16 »
Gaiters and Paramo trousers for me.
If half way across you come to a bloody great big submerged stone go around it. DON'T step up onto it, you will fall off it as you try to step back down!

If there are enough snakes you can run across their backs. This is easier with poisonous snakes as they swim higher in the water.



Andy

Cnicht

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #42 on: 09:44:40, 14/02/16 »
Get someone to take your bag across then get him to take your hand and pull you across so fast you can't think about it, then when at the other end cry with fright (this did happen too me on Dartmoor!)  :D :o ;D

ElliotBrush

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #43 on: 10:32:25, 04/11/20 »
Hey guys,
Sorry for the late comer reply, but I think I’ve found a solution. The amount of people that are considering fashioning their own boots because there isn’t a great alternative is astronomical! I don’t know why someone hasn’t created cheap, durable and waterproof waders. Anyways, the solution I’m using for my next trail is using Tyvek overboots (usually used in the medical profession) that are relatively inexpensive (a few pounds), and using waterproof adhesive to attach a Velcro strap to secure around the top. Again, these are relatively cheap. I hope this helps, as this would solve the issue.. meaning that you would have a lightweight, cheap and durable pair of waders for river crossings
With thanks,
Elliot

pdstsp

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Re: Tips for crossing streams?
« Reply #44 on: 13:42:55, 04/11/20 »
Hi Elliot and welcome to the forum - that's some thread resurrection - nearly five years since anyone posted


Sure these are durable enough?  Used something similar in the floods in Venice a couple of years ago and they wore through very quickly and ended up with holes - ended up chucking a decent pair of shoes away after wading through the floods for six hours.

 

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