Questions tagged [rivers]
Questions referencing Rivers, this may also include springs, streams, tributaries and river mouths.
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How do you go upriver in a canoe?
Let's say you want to be a voyageur, canoeing on a river like the North Saskatchewan. (We'll leave aside the current state of the beaver pelt industry.)
What do you have to do differently to travel ...
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How can I find the safest place to cross a frozen river from a map?
Where is the better chance the ice on the frozen river in winter will be thicker and safer to cross?
I expect the river width oscillates between the following conditions:
on a shallow, wider, slower ...
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Can I use a blue plastic tarp to float my vehicle across water?
For those unaware, the US army has been using canvas tarps to float jeeps across water for decades.
Video http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675028751_US-4th-Engineers-troops-with-Bantam-...
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How long does it take to sail up the Mississippi?
The head of navigation of the Mississippi River depends on the type of craft and on the source you look at. For large oceangoing ships, it seems to be Baton Rouge, but otherwise, seems to be the Coon ...
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Why would a glacier-fed river have its peak flow levels at mid morning?
How would the Hoh river, glacier fed, have peak flow at about 9am?
The meter is about 20 nautical miles from the source, and Google suggests it's about 40 river miles. It should only take 10 hours ...
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Can I expect a mountain stream to have less water in the morning, even when it is not primarily fed by meltwater?
In late September 2015, I hiked part of the trail in the incredibly beautiful Lónsöræfi in southwestern Iceland, near Vatnajökull. The easternmost segment of the trail requires fording Hnappadalsá (...
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Is the head of navigation same for sailing and motorboats?
Rivers are often described as having a 'head of navigation', the furthest upstream point you can reach in a ship coming from the sea. Does this equally apply, regardless of propulsion method?
In ...
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Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
If you are going downstream by canoe or raft on an unfamiliar river, and there is a waterfall ahead, are you likely to be able to detect the sound and the cloud of spray sufficiently far in advance to ...
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Is it significantly faster to hike along a river bank?
Hiking through old-growth forest with no trail, is a lot slower than hiking on a trail. The actual speed seems to vary greatly depending on the particular forest, with estimates ranging from perhaps 1 ...
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Figuring out from a map which direction is downstream for a river?
If you pull up a river on Google maps it's not clear what's downstream from what.
Like the Colorado River... Hoover Dam is downstream of the Grand Canyon, which is downstream of Lee's Ferry, which is ...
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Advice on wild swimming in Ontario, Canada
I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to wild swimming, or swimming in rivers and lakes having only went once or twice. However, I'm an avid swimmer and have participated in several swimming ...
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Sleeping in an inflatable boat
I am going to make a trip on a river in an inflatable rowing boat. The trip is going to be two days long: one day down the river and the next day - back.
The question is how I should spend night. I ...
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How to anchor a raft on a river
The past couple years I've been taking a homemade raft out onto the Charles River in Boston to see the fireworks on July 4th (think an old boxspring mattress holding 4 people). One problem we always ...
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How long to travel the Mopan River by canoe between San Ignacio and Melchor de Mencos?
I’m researching river travel for a novel and need to figure out about how long it would take a canoe to go from San Ignacio to Melchor de Mencos via the Mopan River. This would be upstream travel, so ...
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For fording cold rivers, is there any special clothing (as opposed to makeshift bags or tightly connected raintrousers) to stay dry and warm?
On my treks, I often need to ford rivers — on my last trek (3½ day) I forded five, including four on a single day (not counting >100 smaller streams). My current practice is to take off my boots and ...
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How dangerous is it to swim in the Amazon river?
I have a long term dream of visiting the Amazon rainforest. I have been trying to determine how dangerous it is to swim in the Amazon river. I realise it is a large river, with various side channels - ...
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tips for wading in knee deep water where water moccasins could roam
Lately I've taken up a new hobby: taking pictures of train trestle bridges. There's one that goes over the San Gabriel river in Texas that I can get within half a mile of but any further than that ...
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How can one know where to throw one's spear when spearfishing?
Spearfishing has been around ages and everyone has heard of how great the Native Indians were at spearfishing.
As we all know, light is refracted (bent) when it enters water. The key to spearing fish ...
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What are the dangers of swimming in natural waters?
What are the dangers of swimming in natural bodies of water? In essence I would like to know about all types of waters, but I am mostly interested in sea because it is most relevant to me. Like many ...
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Flat bottom boat trolling motor power
I am wondering how to estimate the needed motor power for boating upstream on big rivers like, for example, Danube. (mean the bottom to middle part, i.e. where the Danube is wide and "slow"?).
To be ...
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What is the best stroke for swimming in rapids aggressively?
So I know that most swimming in rapids should be defensive, on your back feet together and pointed downstream. However, there are times you need some good aggressive swimming to get to an eddie or out ...
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How long would it take to canoe the entire length of the Belize River upstream in July?
Hopefully someone has made this trip so I can craft a realistic scenario for a novel I’m writing.
Assuming you had a crew of one experienced paddler and two inexperienced paddlers, about how long ...
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How do you determine where to cast when fly fishing bigger, mostly featureless rivers?
Smaller streams are easy to tell where to cast when fly fishing given fish's tendency to hang out in pools or hole or undercut banks. It easy to decide where you need to cast and approximately where ...
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What is the most effective means of paddling a canoe, against the current, under a bridge?
Today I was out in the canoe on Monongahela River I started out paddling up river, and there was a head wind. I noticed that when I got with in about 100 feet of a bridge the wind picked up. The ...
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Name of this Forked Fin Fish with Teeth Caught in Miami River, Florida, USA
What type of fish is this?
I caught this fish in the Miami River in Southern Florida, USA. This river is brackish I believe, so I am not sure whether it is saltwater or freshwater. It is brown, green,...
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Bald eagle vs. vultures?
I witnessed a bizarre scene on the James River in Richmond, VA, USA (1000 yards west of Mayo Bridge if you want to examine Google Maps). It was on a large rock in the middle of the river, where nearly ...
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What's the best way to use bucktail jigs to catch Butterfly Peacock bass?
I would like to fish for Butterfly Peacock bass with some bucktail jigs, but I haven't been able to find information on the best way to rig my line to have a successful setup.
I live in Florida and ...
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How do you protect yourself against crocodiles when you have no option but to camp on the banks of a croc-infested river?
I am reading Escape Routes by David Roberts. This is a collection of 20 articles ranging from a winter ascent in Iceland to the first descent of a river in Ethiopia, the Tekeze, a major tributary of ...
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In the US is it legal to travel on any river/creek my canoe will navigate?
I have always assumed that if my Canoe will float, and the waterway ultimately reaches an ocean it is legal to travel on.
I looked around for documents that said it clearly one way or the other. ...
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Terminology and cues for reading river water when fly fishing
When reading or watching videos on about reading water for fishing in English, I often come across terms like riffle, run, pool, seam, among others. However, when I get o the river ready to float that ...
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What is this 40 cm long greenish and golden shining fish with brown fins?
I caught this fish yesterday in St. John river in Canada. My father and I don't know what it is.
Fish like this have been caught recently (this Summer). Apparently, the fish was caught using worms.
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How do you survive getting towed under a log jam?
When I was a boy, my father and I were unexpectedly swept into a log jam (pile of logs the size of a house) on the banks of the Elk River while canoeing near our home.
Somewhat similar looking jam, ...
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Creek discovery. Two structures at opposing ends of the bank. What are they?
I found these structures in a fairly inaccessible area of the creek. The oven like construction is made of bricks (which can be found around in the creek bed itself due to runoff) and mud for the seal ...
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Small Islands in Androscoggin river, Berlin NH
We were recently driving through Berlin Hew Hampshire, and saw these small islands in the river for several miles. There was not a good place to stop and take a picture of them, but they show clearly ...
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Can a human survive in Saltstraumen or other whirlpool?
I am fascinated and afraid (at the same time) of whirlpools and water currents.
I wonder if a average human could survive water currents or whirlpools or maybe even the Saltstraumen?
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What is the best way to cross streams while backpacking?
I'm curious of a good technique to cross a stream while backpacking that's above the boot's waterproof line but no higher than the knees. I typically face upstream and use my hiking poles for ...
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Can you sit on the comfy trike saddle while the canoe is in the water?
My answer to How to carry a bicycle in a canoe? includes the image below.
The following question was asked in a comment, and to give it a decent answer, I am posting it as a new question.
...
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How to carry a bicycle in a canoe?
I am contemplating a river journey from Pittsburgh to the Gulf of Mexico. 981 miles on the Ohio river and 2340 miles on the Mississippi River. The current plan calls for completing the journey in 1 ...
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How can I take my dog kayaking?
I wonder if there are any dog crazy people like me out there who have ever tried to take their dogs kayaking or floating down the river. Has anyone seen anything created for dog-friendly kayak ...
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What is this floating raft-like object in the waters of a reservoir in Massachusetts?
My husband frequently walks at the Wachusett Reservoir, which spans a few towns in central Massachusetts.
This past Sunday he was on his usual path, and saw something floating in the water which he ...
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Is there a website with current river water levels for Arizona/Utah?
Is there a website that water meters on rivers report to? I am planning a white water river trip and I am worried the river will be dry. I know there are meters on the river but accessing them or ...
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What causes the current in the interior lagoons of Presque Isle State Park PA?
There is canoe trail, in the interior lagoons of Presque Isle State Park PA. No gas engines are allowed, travel is bidirectional, like a bike path most travelers make a two way trip on the same path. ...
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How to cross rivers or streams at night or in darkness?
I am preparing a dayhike with some buddies of mine but to get to the trailhead, we have to cross more than ten river crossings which are passable by huge vehicles. The water there is quite fast and ...
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What is involved in taking a canoe through a lock on a major US River?
Most of the locks on rivers in the United States are built for commercial traffic. like barges to navigate the river system. I know they exist and I have seen them on television, but that is all I ...
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Can horses ford deeper/faster rivers than humans?
Is it safe to follow a equestrian trail and assume I can ford where the horse-trail does? Or should I expect equestrians to ford rivers too deep or swift to ford on foot? I'm thinking of the ...
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In kayaking how would you escape an underwater whirlpool current if you were trapped in one?
In kayaking I've heard a term called the 'washing machine'. Apparently as a river is flowing over terrain it can create whirlpools and currents that swirl in all manner. Occasionally a condition can ...
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How can I use horsetail as a "indicator plant" to find gold while gold pannig?
How can I use horsetail as a indicator plant to find gold while gold pannig?
What are Indicator Plants?
Indicator plants are peculiar to a certain place. Though they aren’t necessarily rare, ...
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Does fordable by 4WD imply fordable on foot?
I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. Among the foreseen challenges are 17 crossings of named rivers (and many smaller ones). All rivers I need to cross have 4WD ...
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Strange river level changes (similar to tides) near the "Lech Fall"
The "Lech Fall" in Austria is a huge waterfall with a small peninsula on its inflow. This picture gives a nice overview:
From Wikimedia
I was standing on that peninsula and experienced extremely ...
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What is the best type of shoe to wear for crossing deep rivers?
I'm heading up for some walking to Scotland soon. I will need to cross multiple rivers.
I have no interest in crossing wearing my walking boots as so many people like to do as wet feet are the worst ...
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