The day I stopped using trekking poles on river crossings after a close call in the Sierras

I was crossing Evolution Creek in Kings Canyon last summer, water was moving fast up to my thighs. Had both poles planted and one got wedged between rocks, almost pulled me face down into the current. That's when a ranger later told me poles give a false sense of stability on slick rocks and you're better off using a single sturdy stick or just taking them off your pack entirely. Anyone else had a sketchy crossing because of poles catching on something?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake_dixon12d ago

Wait, a ranger actually told you that? That's wild because I've always heard the opposite from every outdoor course I've taken. I had a similar thing happen but with just one pole in a creek up in the Hoover Wilderness, and it twisted sideways and yanked my shoulder hard. Almost went swimming too. Honestly, I think the worst part about poles in water is when they get stuck under a rock and you're already committed to stepping forward, then your whole body weight shifts weird. I've started taking both poles off and using them like walking sticks on the bank to test depth before I step in. That ranger sounds like they've seen some stuff though, maybe they know something the gear companies don't want us to hear.

king.jordan12d ago

Does anyone else find that the single biggest danger with poles is how they react when you least expect it? @jake_dixon you mentioned the twist when a pole gets stuck under a rock - that's exactly what happened to me on a crossing in the Wind Rivers. The pole just locked up tight between two boulders and I had to let go of it to keep from getting pulled over. I ended up watching it float downstream while I scrambled to grab a branch on the bank. Now I carry a cheap wooden stick just for crossings and keep the poles strapped to my pack. The ranger's point about false sense of stability makes more sense after almost losing gear and balance in one go.