Following a stream downstream – chances and dangers

Waters form a network that keeps joining as it goes downhill. If you follow a stream down, sooner or later you reach a larger stream, a river or a lake. In populated regions such as the Alpine countries and uplands, there are almost always paths, forestry roads, houses or villages by such waters, because people have always used water and flat valley floors.

A stream is a handrail you can hardly lose: you hear it, you see the valley, and the terrain leads you down anyway. That is a big advantage over a direction you can only hold with the sun or signs. But the handrail is not the route – right by the water it is often wet, slippery, steep or overgrown.

Running water shapes obstacles. Where the ground is hard, it cuts ravines and gorges with vertical walls. At steps in the terrain, waterfalls form. In flat sections bogs and dense bank scrub develop. Knowing this, you keep your distance and stay a little higher up the slope.

Before you follow a stream, decide consciously: does nobody know where you are? Can you not stay? Is there enough daylight, and is no thunderstorm in sight? Only if these questions speak for it do you set off. If you left a trip plan, staying at a visible place is usually better.

Walk beside the water, not in it. Use paths, game trails and the slope above the bank. If the valley narrows and the banks become rock walls, or you hear a loud roar, do not go in. Climb out sideways in good time and bypass the spot higher up. The most important rule: what you climb down you may not be able to climb back up – and then you are stuck in a gorge.

As soon as you reach a path, a forestry road or a bridge, follow it downhill. Paths lead to settlements. Leave a sign for searchers at junctions and wear bright clothing so you can be seen.

Falls at waterfalls, on wet rock and from gorge edges are the biggest danger. Wet, mossy rock is extremely slippery, and even a short fall can cause serious injury. Never descend beside a waterfall, never climb over wet rock steps – turn back and go around higher up, even if it takes longer.

Flash floods can come out of a clear sky when it rains further up in the catchment. In narrow valleys, gorges and dry stream beds the water then rises within minutes. Alarm signs are muddy or suddenly rising water, drifting wood, a rumbling sound and thunderclouds up the valley. Then climb sideways to higher ground at once. Never walk in gorges when thunderstorms threaten, and never camp right by the stream.

You only cross streams when unavoidable and safe. Cold, fast water can sweep your legs away even when shallow. Treat stream water before drinking it. With phone signal, call 112; in Austria you can also reach the mountain rescue on 140.

Following a stream makes sense in populated regions with a dense path network, when you have to move and nobody knows where you are. There a stream often leads to a path within a manageable time. Even when you know that a road runs through the valley, the stream is a good handrail to it.

It does not make sense during thunderstorms, heavy rain or strong snowmelt, in areas with gorges and ravines, and in large, uninhabited wilderness areas where a valley can be empty of people for days. And if a search for you can be expected, it is usually better to stay at a clearly visible place.

Research on the behaviour of missing persons shows that lost people often follow paths and terrain lines. Search teams know this and search such lines specifically. Anyone who marks where they are going is found sooner.

On every trip, note which valley the streams in your area flow into and where roads run there. A quick look at the map before setting off – 'all streams here flow south into the valley with the main road' – can be the most important information in an emergency.