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I saw the same conditions as CicelyB, and agree fords are not much of a nobo issue. However, nobo's can increase their chance of death if they really want. I can only think of a few high crossings that are easily avoided. <BR>
1) The Lower Gila is unlikely to be any safety problem, but if crossings are a negative, this is a very bad route. It may cause you to bail on the prettier Upper Gila. However, it is not the official route and also has the infamous Tadpole Ridge bushwhack in the wrong (uphill) direction. <BR>
2) The ford uptream/south of Twin Lake lake/town, is on the opposite end of the lake of the official trail, and has a bridge a mile or so upstream. <BR>
3) The Buffalo River ford, north of Togwotee Pass has a high water alternative at Togwotee Lodge to the west. This alternative crosses a small gap in the Ley maps, and skips some very nice terrain. However, it is shorter and safer in very high water (i.e. very early). <BR>
4) There is an easy ford (and not too bad bushwhack) well south of Lake Ann Pass that everyone took to avoid the long walk to the bridge on the official trail. <BR>
What am I forgetting?? There are too many fords to mention for sobos. <BR>
Jim<BR><BR>
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Replying to:<BR>
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Message: 1<BR>Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:40:28 -0500<BR>From: "Bill" <Bill@Luttge.com><BR>Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] finding a function's definition from a call<BR>To: "'Jim and_or Ginny Owen'" <spiriteagle99@hotmail.com>,<BR><prairiesky@yahoo.com>, "'cdt-l'" <cdt-l@backcountry.net><BR>Message-ID: <D983FE0C8AE74FD98AD0018C909F6C4C@SONY><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR>I'm only 5'4" and 65 yo, so I'm finding this discussion on river crossing<BR>techniques and experiences to be very informative. I've already completed a<BR>number of long thru-hikes (including the PCT), but the prospects of big<BR>rivers on my CDT nobo thru-hike this Spring has me concerned.<BR><BR><BR><BR>FireBall<BR><BR><BR><BR><<A href="http://www.reply/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.reply/</FONT></A>> Reply to Bill@Luttge.com <mailto:Bill@Luttge.com> <BR><BR>(Trail name: FireBall)<BR><BR>Follow my hiking and backpacking <BR><BR>adventures at www.Luttge.com <<A href="http://www.luttge.com/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.luttge.com/</FONT></A>> <BR><BR>_____ <BR><BR>From: "cicelyb250@aol.com" <cicelyb250@aol.com><BR>To: prairiesky@yahoo.com<BR>Cc: cdt-l@backcountry.net<BR>Sent: Thu, December 17, 2009 9:52:01 AM<BR>Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] finding a function's definition from a call - water crossings<BR><BR>I'm 5ft 6 inches and 60 -61 when I did the CDT in 2008-2009. For the <BR>Gila, I wore sturdy tennis shoes and kept them on all day since I was <BR>crossing the river constantly. Heavy, but safe. I noticed many <BR>hikers used crocs for the water. When I finished in 2009 (Lincoln, <BR>Montana to Canada) I used crocs. They worked like a charm. Hiked a <BR>bit in them in parts of the Bob Marshall where there were river crossings within <BR>several hundred yards. Normally I hike in hiking boots since my feet and <BR>ankles are crappy. Many, many hikers use some sort of trail shoe and <BR>keep them on for rivers and trail. Of course Billy Goat is famous for <BR>crossing rivers by wearing socks lined by his liners. If it's a nice sandy <BR>river bottom bare feet are ok too.<BR>I am a fisherman and learned early on that when the water is swift - turn <BR>and face the current. Shuffle sideways across the water. Feels and <BR>sounds strange, but you are less likely to be swept off your feet. With <BR>two poles and two feet, keep 3 planted while you move the fourth. Slow, <BR>but safe for this timid old hiker. Take your time and "read" the <BR>river. What looks like a good crossing may or may not be. <BR>Maybe I just hit it right, but I found fewer scary crossings on the CDT <BR>than I did on the PCT. In hiking season, most rivers in Glacier have nice <BR>suspension bridges across them!<BR>CicelyB<BR><BR>
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