That creek crossing in Yosemite last June changed how I pack

I was doing the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne route, right? Around mile 14 I hit a creek that was way higher than I expected. My dry bag had a tiny pinhole I never noticed before and my spare socks got soaked. Now I always line my pack liner with a second trash bag and check every seam before a trip. Anyone else have a gear failure on a simple water crossing that made you rethink your whole system?

2 comments

2 Comments

milabaker9d ago

I actually just read a blog post from that guy who hikes all the Sierra classics, and he mentioned how even Gore-Tex eventually fails in sustained wet conditions. That creek crossing you did on the Tuolumne is notorious for catching people off guard, I've heard stories of folks trying to bridge it with logs that just crumble. For me, it was a similar thing on the Little Yosemite Valley trail last spring when my "waterproof" compression sack leaked on a simple ankle-deep ford. Now I double-bag my sleep system and electronics in separate dry bags inside the main liner, and I also carry a small repair patch kit for my pack's fabric just in case.

keithyoung9d ago

A buddy of mine tried that same Tuolumne crossing last June and ended up chest-deep when a submerged log shifted under him. He swore his brand new rain jacket was bombproof until that moment, then spent the next two hours shivering while his phone and map sat in a puddle inside his pack. Now he just accepts that everything gets wet eventually and packs like it's going to rain for a week straight.