[pct-l] cold creeks

[mark v]

It seems to me that the reaction of the body to falling into a cold, fast stream is just more reason to follow my strategy.  Take every possible precaution not to fall in.  If you're not extremely confident that you will not fall in, don't cross.

Just to enflame the debate more and add another convoluted metaphor, this to me is the same attitude that leads to accidents on snow slopes with ice axes.  People go across half-expecting to fall, and thinking primarily about their self-arrest.  The mountaineering instructor i had a few years back, and i have to say i believe him now, said self-arrest matters, but most of the time one can't self-arrest no matter what.  So the primary strategy has to be how to make sure as much as humanly possible that you just don't fall.  What you do if somehow you do fall (on a slope, into the water) matters and deserves attention, but it's not the primary line of defense against a tragedy.