Pretty hard for me to imagine fording the Suiattle, any time of year, with a 7-year old.
I think you could do it, but I would definitely cross the river first, put the kid in a life vest/harness and belay them on their crossing. A little slip in that spot could be a life altering event for everyone involved. You could stash the crossing gear behind a tree near the river for the rest of the trip.
An early 100 Hike's gave that exact advice for crossing Ridley Creek with the fam.
You won't get that advice in a hiking guidebook nowadays though!
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"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
We've done a couple of belayed log crossings before, and this worked pretty well. I still am pretty cautious about doing this only in times of slower moving water, but it definitely adds an element of safety.
Thanks!
This definitely can be a hazard in deep and faster moving water. A PFD might be a better choice in some situations (but at that point, you might just ask yourself if it's a good idea at all!)
In kayaking and canoeing if you fall out the first thing you want to do is cut any encumbering lines. That is why they carry combat looking knives close at hand. I have any number of gory stories I have heard of boaters in swift water tied to lines.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
Remember the basics. When crossing streams/rivers undue your sternum strap and waist belt so that you can get OUT of your pack if you're taken down stream!!!
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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