[pct-l] Expedient Water Crossing

[radpin at gmail.com (Eric)]

Technical note:

>From what I remember, you would have multiple people holding lines
held fast, kept fairly tensioned. Just enough slack for the person to
move around. One line is horizontal to the water, kept in line with
the person crossing. The other person starts in that position, and
moves down at the same rate that the person moves across. In this way,
if the person were to fall, the person at the farther position down
river now has a nearly horizontal pull.

It works like a pendelum, where the downward action of the person
being swept away is stopped by the upstream line (made fast), and the
downstream line can pull them quickly closer to shore. The idea being
that the instant someone moves downstream, your ability to pull them
(or even their ability pull up) against quick moving water is remotely
small. But you can act to keep them from going further downstream. The
horizonal "pendelum pull" line is the one that really gets you closer
to shore, and possibly out of the water entirely.

You also would have people on the shore (and as you move the unit
across, both sides of the shore), who are tied off themselves, ready
to go up to thigh deep or so to recover anyone who needs help.

But again, military situations are unique. You're talking about
usually a minimum of 12 people, where one "hero" just zipping along
the rocks to the other side isn't going to do that. They're all going
to work as a team and get across. It takes longer, but is safer. 
Atleast, that's what the people told me as I went somewhere for
someone to shoot at me, so maybe they didn't know much after all. :-)

Eric




On Fri, 3 Sep 2004 11:22:12 -0700, Eric Lee (GAMES) <elee@microsoft.com> wrote:
> Steel-eye wrote:
> >
> In view of the recent discussion about the hazards of fording creeks and
> rivers I would like to refer interested readers the following website.
> Please see Chapter #17.  You may find some surprises, particularly in
> reference to the effect of pack weight.
> >
> 
> Hmm, I suppose stream crossings are like bear canisters and horses and
> other perennial arguments that never die but . . . I see that the Army
> Field Manual you cited recommends a stream-crossing technique using a
> rope.
> 
> Most wilderness manuals I've read specifically state that this is a bad
> idea, since if a roped-up person loses his footing the force of the
> moving water will instantly pin him to the stream bed and keep him
> there.  The only options that that point are to cut the rope or drown.
> 
> But I'm sure there are a wide variety of opinions on the subject.
> <grin>
> 
> Eric
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