Learnings From a River Crossing Gone Wrong

It was a cloudy but fine day when Alle set off on by herself for a multi-day tramp in Arthur’s Pass National Park heading to Carrington Hut on the Carrington Hut Route. The 12- km route follows the large, braided Waimakariri River, and includes multiple stream and river crossings.

Alle knew it had been raining in the area for several days earlier, but didn’t realise just how heavy it had been, and how much her trip was about to be impacted.

After passing the newly renovated Anti Crow Hut, Alle safely crossed a small stream and the Anti Crow River.

Although Alle had not completed a river crossing course, she was an experienced tramper and had solid river crossing knowledge.

“I made the crossings, taking my time to choose a safe place to cross. It was all going well and I was feeling really proud of myself,” says Alle.

The track then descended to the Waimakariri riverbed. The river had recently changed course, cutting off access to both ends of the next section of track.

“I knew from the track notes that I had to cross the river twice but I couldn’t find the orange markers. I crossed the river, thinking the route would become clear on the other side. But when I finally saw the marker, I realised I was in the wrong spot completely.”

Keeping an eye on the marker so she could rejoin the track, Alle entered the river again, thinking it would be as easy as the earlier crossings. But about midway across, the current started pulling her downstream.

What had started as a navigation error quickly escalated into a river safety incident.

After gathering her thoughts, Alle took her time to identify a safer crossing point. She crossed safely and rejoined the track only to find that the final river crossing before the hut was “absolutely too high and fast”.

Despite being so close to the hut, Alle made the safe decision to turn back to Anti Crow Hut.

“I was soaked and cold, but I knew it wasn’t safe to continue. I calculated that it would take just over an hour to get back to the hut, and I had a plan to dry off and crawl into my sleeping bag with warm hut clothes on.”

She reached the hut only to discover her trusty MSC yellow pack liner had been damaged by walking poles when she’d lent it to a friend, and her sleeping bag was wet through. In a “huge stroke of luck”, she found three fire starters, so was able to light a fire, get warm and dry her sleeping bag.

The next day, Alle cut short her trip, returning to Arthur’s Pass to enjoy some day walks instead. Needless to say, taking a river crossing course is now at the top of her list before summer.

Alle’s key learnings

• Use dry bags as well as a pack liner. Luckily, I’d put my hut clothes in a dry bag inside my pack liner. Next time I’ll do the same with my sleeping bag.
• Check the latest information before you go. Use Plan My Walk for alerts and then double-check with the local DOC visitor centre before heading off.
• Don’t cross if you’re unsure. I should have checked my map at the beginning of the washout before crossing the river to make sure I knew where I was going.
• Stay calm. I realised that staying calm helped me think clearly and make better decisions about where to cross.
• Know when to turn back. Even though I was so close to the hut, I knew the river was unsafe and turning around was the safest decision.
• Take a river crossing course. I’ve realised I need to do more research into river crossings and attend a hands-on course before my next trip.

PHOTO CREDIT | Alle | Carrington Hut Route