Rchan, In my younger days I used to do the mad dash swim across the high water to reach the pools ending up most times around the crab cooker area. Sounds like you may be jumping in from pretty much the same place that I was. For me its that spot in the creek were the granite gets closest from side to side, as you said just upstream from the hotpools. After really freezing my behind off a good many times doing that I figured I try something differant. On high water days I'd bring a cheap blow up water mattress to swim across on. I would wrap my belongings up in a couple of sturdy trash bags ( 4 Mil ) and would tie a light rope tightly around the top and then would tie this rope around my waste. I would go to pretty much the same place I used to jump in from and would lay on the mattress and would swim quickly across while pulling my things in the trash bag behind me. As long as you put your heavier things in the bottom of the trash bag it will float across like a little raft with no problem. Since your above the current on a mattress you can get across faster than swimming and you don,t expose your body to that cold winter creek water. When I'd get ready to come back I'd get everything ready to go and then I would do another hot soak and then made my quick dash back across and dressed as quickly as possible. This for me was the easiest and cheapest way to do a high water creek crossing. Of course it took a little time to set things up so a quick dive and swim is simpler if your up to the cold. As I remember Rchan your tolerance of the cold creek water is quite high :-) That neoprene spring suit idea is a good one too. If the water is really high to the point of being dangerous then I would take the Bradford Ridge trail in off 173 since it brings you in on the hotpool side of the creek. It does take about an additional hour and a half of hiking counting the hike in and out in comparison to the hike from the Bowen Ranch. Either way I do really enjoy the winter season up at the OZ :-)