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Met a guy on the Pacific Crest Trail who changed my whole approach to water crossings
Near mile 450 in the Sierra, this older hiker saw me trying to hop rocks and just laughed. He said 'walk straight through, wet boots beat broken ankles every time.' Been my rule ever since anyone else get advice that counterintuitive out there?
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uma_reed262mo ago
Oh man, that's some solid gold advice right there. I actually read about this exact thing in a hiking safety guide someone left at a hostel last summer. They had this whole section about how people get into trouble trying to be too clever with their footwork. The author talked about how wet feet dry out but broken ankles don't, which is basically what your guy said but in fancier words. I also saw a video where a guy who did the PCT twice said the same thing, he called it "the soggy boot rule" and swore by it. It makes so much sense when you think about it, your boots are already gonna get sweaty and dirty anyway, so a little river water isn't gonna ruin your whole day. Honestly, I think people overthink water crossings because they don't want to get their gear wet, but like you said, safety first always.
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tarab542mo ago
Slipped on a mossy rock once trying to be fancy, never again.
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