A Dangerous Time of Year for Wading....
- Thread starter krusty
- Start date
amen to that
Last year I was wading in the Sound - water at the knees. Not paying attention I turned downstream in the current to get back out of the water and wound up falling - and submerging (for a couple of seconds but seemed much, much longer) as I struggled to get back up. In all the years on the Sound, that was the first time. But it was a good reminder - never turn downstream and always think about what you're doing when you're moving in water.
River water temps around here locally are 45 to 48* F, so wading now isn't any more dangerous than wading in 38 to 40* water during the winter. In fact I think it's less dangerous now because if I fall, when I get out the air temperature is warmer, reducing the risk of hypothermia. What has made wading more risky for me of late is either or both of a couple things. I got a herniated disc in my lower back (L4-L5), and that has affected my balance. Or, the new glasses prescription I got a couple months ago is wrong and makes the ground or riverbed seemed sloped differently than it really is. This has forced me to slow down while wading, or I'm liable to go ass over tea kettle and take an unwanted bath. I suppose my age may have something to do with it, but I don't think it's near as much a factor as my back or my glasses.
