Careful where you put up your camp (rivers)

 

 I've just watched a survival program with a guy I know to be experienced yet he still did it wrong.

 He pitched his shelter on a shingle bank in a jungle river, using a huge fallen tree as the support... The fallen tree had washed down river to that spot... Think about that.

 Now yes it's a lot lighter out of the jungle canopy, you have water handy and to be fair the tree is a good start for a shelter, and theres very few bugs on the ground out there.... The downside is that 50 foot tree floated there, it didn't do that on the pleasent little stream thats there now, oh no it did it when the rivers in flood... Thats the catch!  

 Jungle river are famous for flash floods (as are lots of others and slot canyons) it doesn't even need to be raining where you are, all of a sudden a wall of water can come down stream and it's wooden box and a church service time.  Another factor is some places have dams that open at set times to lower the level or whatever  Again wall of water time, you may get a warning siren before these if your near enough to hear but don't count on it. 

 Alway be prepared for any river or dried up river bed to flood, if you hear rumbling leg it uphill sharpish, but while your walking look for places to get up, it's no good getting yourself  stuck on a ledge you cant get off, the river may well be up for days or even weeks you need to be able to mave to a better place.