Shoutout to the guy who warned me about the flooded creek crossing

I was hiking the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon last June, and there was this creek crossing near Dollar Lake that looked totally fine from the bank. A guy coming the other way told me he saw someone slip and lose their pack downstream right where I was about to step. I took his advice and went a quarter mile upstream where the rocks were more stable, and yeah the water was up to my thighs but I didn't go swimming. Has anyone else had a stranger's advice save them from a bad situation on trail?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_perry62mo ago

Did you read that story about the hiker in the Smokies who got swept away last month?

david_stone1mo ago

Saw something about that on the local news a couple weeks back. They said the water came up way faster than anyone expected, some kind of flash flood situation up in a narrow canyon. Real tragedy honestly, the guy was an experienced hiker too according to the report. Makes you think twice about trusting the weather when you're out in the backcountry, even if you know what you're doing.

bell.taylor2mo ago

Wasn't that actually in the Blue Ridge Mountains? I remember reading it happened near Grandfather Mountain.

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