That creek crossing ate up 4 hours of my day on the Pacific Crest

I was hiking near Crater Lake and hit a creek that looked easy to cross. Turns out the snowmelt had it running fast and deep, and I spent almost 4 hours scouting up and down for a safe spot. Finally found a fallen log about half a mile upstream, but it was sketchy with my pack on. Has anyone else lost half a day to something that looked simple on the map?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.cole3d agoMost Upvoted

120 miles from town I spent 3 hours trying to cross a stream that was a tiny blue line on the map. It’s wild how the small stuff on paper always turns into the biggest battles in real life.

emma_ramirez3d ago

Dude YES that is the absolute worst! I once spent like 4 hours trying to get my truck through a "small creek" that turned out to be a raging waist-deep torrent after some rain. Maps really dont prepare you for the actual ground truth out there.