“You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.” (Paulo Coelho)
When I was a child I decided that the bridge over a small stream was far too easy an option and decided to use a tree branch instead. The branch was the same diameter as I was, but unfortunately it was rotten and promptly snapped, sending me falling about 15 feet onto the stony river bed bellow. My older sister discovered me moments later lying on my back yelling “I’m dead! I’m dead!” which I very clearly and vocally wasn’t.
Perhaps not an auspicious start to river crossings and I’ve had my fair share of tumbles and soakings since.
Because of the nature of jungle trekking there are almost always rivers to be crossed and they can be potentially very hazardous to the unwary. A few weeks back I was on overnight camping trip with a group of friends. On the way out we had to cross a small river and there were boulders to use as stepping stones – unfortunately one of the group slipped and fell forwards, smacking her head on a boulder as she fell – as we all turned to help we saw her lying face down and motionless in the river… we lifted her up and luckily she was just a bit stunned and okay apart from a golf-ball sized bruise on her forehead. But it could easily have been much worse and the incident reminded me of the dangers that crossing even small rivers and streams can pose.
In this video I cover some of the lessons that I have learnt (the hard way!). If there is a simple golden rule to river crossings it is to take your time and heed your instincts that warn you when you are about do something stupid or badly thought out….“Cross in haste, repent underwater!”
The other danger that rivers pose in the jungle is due to the speed with which they can rise. In the photo below you can seem me recrossing a river in my Land Rover. I’d crossed the same river just the day before and it had only been axle deep….on the way back it was coming in through the windows.
And let be honest here, I’d read about rivers in the jungle rising fast but for some reason never really believed it until it happened to me. A few years ago I was camping about 15 feet up the slope from a dried out river bed….my friends were camped on the other side. It had started to drizzle and I retired to my hammock for an afternoon nap with my ipod. About an hour later I vaguely became aware of distant shouts and looked up to find that the river had risen so far that it was only a couple of feet from my hammock. I managed to cross what was now a swirling torrent of muddy river to the other side thanks to a fallen tree, but only 20 minutes later the same crossing had become impossible.
What was deceptive about both of the above incidents was that the rain fall where we were camping was just a light drizzle….but, of course, what caused the river to rise was the heavy rain that must have been falling further upstream.
The other danger posed by rivers comes in the form of waterfalls: clearly it is not a good idea cross a river near to waterfall if there is a risk of being swept over but it can also be risky to camp near to a waterfall as well….if you want to see what I mean by this last point then watch this Youtube video which is enough to make anyone think twice before setting up camp beneath a waterfall.
I went to Arizona a few years ago and while listening to the radio heard “Remarkably, more people drown in the desert than die of thirst [source: USGS]. “ In my home town in Missouri nearly every year someone drown in the river. One summer a women came to my uncles house frantic. Her husband had been pulled down by a under current. She became a pregnant widow that day. The youtube video you included in your article was very interesting. After all I said, I would have never thought about that happening. Nature if beautiful but respect is in-order. Thank you for your hard work providing this information. I really enjoy it!
Dave
Hi Dave,
Many thanks for the comment and the statement you heard on the radio is a very interesting one….it is often the small things that trip us up while we worry about ‘big’ stuff that it is unlikely to happen anyway. Here in Malaysia a lot of people come to grief in rivers….the place where I camped that I talk about in the article claimed a couple of lives just a few years ago after some campers were sucked underneath the boulders and drowned.
Anyway, thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Had a similar run in with the fast swelling rivers of Malaysia. It was back in 2001 in the “dry” season in Borneo. We were a 4-person team establishing new climbing routes on the summit of Mt. Kinabalu. We had planned to do a descent of Low’s Gully – a giant canyon that splits the summit plateau like a giant cleaver. We were several days down into the gully, having rappeled down numerous waterfalls, slid down giant boulders, waded across pools… we still had a couple of days left of technical descents, when the rains started up. What had been mild stream and pools swelled into white water. We deemed it too dangerous, and attempted to wait out the weather… perched under a tarp, eating half rations, waiting for the weather to clear and a window of opportunity to open. It never came, so started the slog back up and out, jugging up the lines we had fixed. One night we found a huge flat boulder, and made camp… then the rains really started. I remember playing cards under the tarp, and a mate would peer off the edge and report that the water was rising. We didn’t think much of it at first, but it steadily climbed up and up, until the waters were threating to swamp the camp. It must have been around midnight, we we realized that we’d have to abandon camp… having no place to go, we had to hack our way up the steep jungle-covered slopes in the dumping rain in the darkness… we found a slight ledge maybe 2 feet deep and 7 feet long, and hunkered down for a wet, sleepless night.
Nice reading your posts — brings back “good” times and fond(ish) memories.
Hi Brandon,
Many thanks for the comment and description of waters rising on your trip to Mt Kinabalu….sounds like quite an adventure! The first time I got caught out by a river rising was a bit of a surprise to me as, although I’d read about this happening, I hadn’t experienced it first hand (doesn’t happen that often in the UK!) and didn’t appreciate how fast the river could rise. Since then it has happened quite a few times and I’m more aware of the risk. As you say, there are two problems – one is that your route back can be cut off by a fast moving river that has risen and the other is that your camp can get submerged.
If I remember correctly this is what happened to that guy who went into the wilderness in Alaska (Into the Wild film) and, when he decided to get out, found that the river he had originally crossed was now to high to safely recross. He ended up starving to death. What was interesting about his situation was that there was a way to cross the river further upstream but, for some unknown reason, he didn’t explore further up stream to see.
Anyway, thanks again for the comment.
Cheers!
Paul
Paul,
I really like this article for reminding people of safety and water safety in particular which can’t be overemphasized. I watched that video link. That is a very sad story and outcome especially for such young people just starting their lives. My heart goes out to them and their families.
I have done a few river crossings but I have never felt in danger in any of them. The diciest thing I have ever done is hike in the slot canyons in Utah, USA when some storm clouds rolled in but I was lucky and never saw any rain or running water from rain upstream. The slot canyons pose some risk of flooding that one must weigh if you want to enjoy their beauty. People die in them almost every year getting caught in a flash flood. Much like those two poor guys in the video there is nowhere to go and no escape if caught in one. Much like that video the slot canyons go from dry to wall of water in seconds as well. I had no idea that the rain forest could change that fast and drastic as well so I learned something today.
Hopefully more people read this and comment and pass it around.
Have a good one,
John
Hi John,
Many thanks for the comment and I agree with you completely that most people tend to underestimate the danger posed by rivers and waterfalls. Every year there are deaths here because people get swept under by rivers (either under large boulders or churned in the undertow) – I don’t have the exact statistics but just from the deaths I hear reported by drowning in the jungle this particular hazard must rate as one of the most likely to kill the unwary.
I’ve just loaded another video talking about hazards and jungle camping as I think people tend to underestimate certain dangers (e.g. widow makers and rivers) while getting a bit paranoid about far less likely dangers (e.g.wild animal attack).
Anyway thanks as always for the support,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
As a guide I know my stuff for the boreal/nemoral regions and I can see that you know your stuff (which also shows by your knowledge of others who know a lot more).
Two things:
1.
Some time ago I tried o contact you about an issue regarding the wilderness guide association. Can you get bacj to me about this?
2.
Rivercrossing: I find one long pole a lot more stable (held in both hands and anchored over the shoulder) a lot more stable than two sticks. I would also like to challange you to try getting swept away with all buckles of your pack closed and all buckles loose.
Opening closed buckles takes less than three seconds and the backpack provides great flotation and is of course also something that you wouldn’t really want to lose. After trying both, I always cross with closed buckles, which makes the backpack and thus also me more stable at river crossings.
Thanks a lot and all the best,
Huck
Hi Huck,
Many thanks for the comment and support and I apologise for being to slow to get back to you on your email but things have been a bit hectic here and I’ve got behind with replies and the like.
I think the points you raise about river crossings are very interesting – I too prefer one long pole for stability. The point about buckles (to undo or not to undo) is very interesting and you are right that the bag acts as a flotation device and is not something you want to lose either. Like a lot of advice for the outdoors sometimes you are forced to generalise when really the best advice would be specific to a particular situation.
What I mean by that is that each river crossing is unique – if it’s a very fast moving river then it might be best to unbluckle as if you get swept away the danger is that the bag will snag on something and you get dragged under by the force of the river….this is something that white water rafters fear most as if they capsize and then the kayak gets trapped by under a fallen log the force of water can make it very difficult to exit the kayak.
For a deep slow moving river you may want to keep the buckles closed as the risk of the bag get snagged is less (or rather you have more time to manoeuvre around any obstacles and the force of the water is less). However, even them you could simply hang on to the rucksack (if it was unbuckled)
The other factor, of course, is whether or not the person can swim well.
But I take your points and I think an individual attempting a river crossing should know the basics but also has to apply their own judgment to the specific situation they face.
Cheers!
Paul