Took me 5 days to sort a river crossing on the JMT

I planned a Sierra trip for late June near Bishop and figured the creeks would be manageable. Turned out the snowmelt was way higher than any forecast I checked, and I spent an entire afternoon scouting one crossing by Evolution Creek. The water was knee deep on a rock hop that should have taken 10 minutes, but finding a safe line ate up 5 hours of daylight. Has anyone else had to abandon a route mid-trip because of unseasonable runoff, or do you just pack waders and commit?

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mason28327d ago

Grabbed my map and found a way around, honestly. That same stretch near Evolution got me a few years back, but I stopped trying to force the main crossing and just walked an extra two miles upstream where it split into shallower braids. Took longer, sure, but I only lost half a day instead of five. I mean, scouting is the real answer here, you can't trust any forecast when the snowpack is weird, so I always plan a backup line now before I even leave the car. Also, poles help way more than waders for me, they let me test the bottom without committing, and if it's past my knees I just turn around and look for logs or rocks further out. Idk maybe it's just the way I hike, but bailing on the original plan feels smarter than risking a swim every time.