Vent: A simple river crossing in the North Cascades turned into a three hour ordeal

Last fall on the Copper Ridge loop, a log bridge marked on the map was completely washed out. We spent over an hour scouting up and down the Chilliwack River for a safe ford, only to find the current was way too strong. Ended up having to backtrack almost two miles to a known, sketchy crossing that still took us 45 minutes to navigate with packs on. Has anyone else had a route detail be that catastrophically wrong, and how did you handle it?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray1891mo ago

Ever notice how we trust maps and plans way more than we should? Your story is a perfect example of how reality loves to throw a wrench in the paper version. It forces you to slow down and deal with the actual ground in front of you.

luna8911mo ago

Honestly, that "reality loves to throw a wrench in the paper version" line is so true. Had the same thing happen on a marked trail in the White Mountains last spring, where the guidebook said the creek was "rock-hoppable." Tbh, it was a full-on raging torrent from snowmelt and we had to bushwhack a mile upstream to find a fallen tree.

valh3222d ago

Used to be a total map fanatic, thought if it wasn't on the topos it didn't exist. Then had a similar thing happen in the Olympics where the "well maintained trail" on the map was just a slide alder hell for three miles. Took us like five hours to cover that section. Totally changed my mind about planning everything on paper. Now I always pack a bit of extra time and mentally plan for the map to be totally wrong. Its more humbling but way less frustrating when stuff goes sideways.