Vertigo when crossing streams

[scottmiller]

I found out that vertigo when crossing streams is fairly common, but I didn't know that, and it took me 1 1/2 crossings to figure it out. I have crossed many streams with no problem, but my last trip involved some very rain-swollen, knee-deep, and FAST streams. It didn't take long before I was spinning out and almost falling over, which would not have been good in a stream that big. Thank goodness for poles. I ended up inching along by feel, with my eyes on the shore.
So in case you hadn't heard of this phenomena, now you know. If you start getting dizzy when crossing a stream, look up.

[mkbgdns]

me too. my best guess has something to do with the visual input of the moving surface you're crossing. bigger, faster stream, bigger confusing sensation your brain's getting.

[shawnterustic]

Same thing happens to me! Log crossings always make it 10x worse.

[Gogd]

Yea looking at the water moving will give screwy visual feedback to the brain. Wading in fast moving water will give screwy gravity force sensational feedback from the feet.

Also the cochlear tubes in the ears of mammals aid our sense of balance, and work best when the head is in its natural orientation to gravity - in our case looking forward, head level. When the head gets tilted off this axis the feedback from the ears gets thrown off.

Ed

[The Other Tom]

Logs are the worst for me. I'd almost rather ford the stream.

[scottmiller]

Yeah, logs are a real problem. You HAVE to look down. I don't do logs unless there is no place to wade.