Howdy, I'd like to add in my 2-cents for what it's worth. I'm a big proponent of walking water crossings before driving into them. I know that this is not always practical or sometimes possible. BUT even on a familiar or frequently used crossing there can be significant changes if there has been a big rain, snow melt. etc. or a long time has passed since you last used it. Plus there is always the inexperienced or idiotic driver that has torn hell out of the crossing where you can't really see it. I'd like to relate a personal experience. Once upon a time, In Australia, in the Glass House Mountains, we were doing some exploring. The area at the time was pretty undeveloped and very beautiful. It also has water crossings. Lots of water crossings. Knowing that they could sometimes be traps, we were pretty diligent about walking these crossings and every one of them was crystal clear water less than about 14 inches deep with very firm bottoms. Until the first one we didn't walk. Gloop, right up to the frame. We spent the rest of the day trying to self-rescue without any progress at all. Of course, we had no winch. Ended up spending the night (hot, rainy, and mosquito filled) and hiking out lthe next morning to get help. So... 2 amused park Rangers and one irritated Farmer with his tractor later (Bless him)... we finally got going again. Take a minute and survey the situation. It'll pay off. Have Fun!
