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My dad's old hiking buddy told me to 'always follow the creek upstream' on a lost trail
I was planning a 4-day loop in the Gila and he said it with a straight face, like it was gospel. Has anyone actually tried that, or is it a surefire way to end up bushwhacking through a canyon?
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miaprice5mo ago
Hold up, he said that about the Gila? That place is full of box canyons and forks that go nowhere. Following a creek there is a classic way to get yourself into a real mess. Did he at least warn you about checking your map for where that water actually comes from?
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scott.alex5mo ago
Yeah, but that only works if you know the creek's whole story from a map first... otherwise you're just trusting a random waterway with your afternoon. I've seen guys follow a nice stream right into a cliff wall because they didn't look ahead. It's a tool, not a rule.
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blair9905mo ago
Honestly, that advice is solid if you use it right. Tbh following a creek upstream is about finding the main water source, which is often a bigger valley or a pass. You can't just blindly follow every trickle, but in a lot of places it leads you out of the thick brush and gives you a clear line. The key is to know when to leave it and check your map. Ngl, it's saved me a couple times when a trail just vanished.
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finley_smith4mo ago
Up in the PNW I followed a creek right into a dead end canyon, total rookie move.
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