Water and Hiking

On nearly every hike  I came across a river, a lake or water in any other think and unthinkable form. This article is dedicated to the wet element in all it's glory and it's meaning for outdoor activities in general. Or maybe just a way to show off some pictures that somehow fit nowhere else. Who knows...

Sometimes paths just lead over some small rivers

Hiking and water, goes together like coffee and milk, or was it coffee with sugar, and what about those who like their coffee just plain black. Better leave those comparisons behind and forget about them. So hiking and water, one cannot exist without another. When walking around, you need plenty of it. Especially when walking outside in the open, without any cooling shadow or a nice cold breeze blowing around your nose. So always take more than enough with you and don't forget to refill. But be careful were you resupply.

There are many wells out there, but not all off them provide drinking water

The last thing you want is contaminated water. When on a half or day long hike, trip or adventure it isn't very nice if you stomach starts to hate you, but if you are out there for a longer time period and far away from civilisation there is nothing worse than dealing with "Montezumas Revenge". So be careful, always take a closer look at your water source and always plan ahead. 

But water isn't just a necessity to keep your body running it just can be nice to look at, or through, depending on your viewpoint.

Trust me, without the water drops the view would be much more boring than it actually is now

So water is always good to have in a scenic view: For example a mountain and its reflection on the surface of a lake (no I don't post any of those images here). Or a deep valley with a river roaring through it (no, not here again). Or a big gigantic waterfall flowing over a cliff (no, not here, maybe somewhere else in this blog). So basically many of those, still nice to look at postcards and pictures out of every fancy outdoor, photography and god else knows what magazine, wouldn't exist without water.

But as nice as water can be, in many cases it is just an obstacle that has to be overcome: If it is shallow enough, just walk through. But be careful, sometimes thing are far more deeper than they look from aside.

Don't walk through if water looks like that, well do it if you are out for a hefty swim

So the best way to cross any bigger river (no, I don't mean those about 30 centimetres broad, nearly dried out watery things that flow downwards) is to look for a bridge, a shallow ford or something similar. And yes, your shoes might be waterproof, but it all ends with them. So when your shoes are over, there is a gap between your leg and the shoe itself. And water can flow in there. Pretty fast, much of it and then you've got some really wet feet. And hiking on under that condition is doable, and necessary, because not many people carry a second pair of shoes with them, but no fun at all. 

Sometimes a look down from a bridge or a similar river crossing opens up an interesting view, above is maybe a bad example...

So well, until now we just missed one thing, probably the worst thing that water can do to you if your outdoors, when comes from above, out of the sky: Rain. No one likes, but it can happen to you if your out on a trail in the middle of nowhere. Especially when it is summer and you are up in the mountains: Thunderstorms come fast and sometimes without any announcement through a weather forecast. Yes, rain equipment belongs in every backpack, and if it doesn't last too long, no problem at all. But after a few hours poring out of buckets, all you will be longing for is a dry place with a roof on, something to warm your body and to be able to try your clothes.

If it looks like that, do yourself a favour, run and seek shelter

So in the end, a small conclusion: Water is no problem for a well prepared, carefully planning hiker. Only those without a plan and the wrong equipment struggle in their battle against the humid element. And at the end, one general thing: Better have more (sweet, drinkable) water available than none. Ah, and as always: Feel free to share comment and like.