I recently visited a river not far from where I live in Portland, Maine. We've had some rain recently, so before my trip I checked the USGS' site to see how high the river gauge was - while high, it wasn't crazy and I still decided to visit. On arrival, it was clear that I should have stayed at home if I was planning on doing any fishing. While the river wasn't too high, the river was flowing extremely fast. I pulled up the USGS' site again on my phone and confirmed that, if I had looked, I would have been able to see that I wasn't going to be doing any wading.

That said, it was a new spot for me, so I took the opportunity to hike up and down a mile or so of the river. Even though I was no longer there to fish, the river and surrounding environment was absolutely gorgeous. I met and chatted with a few other hikers and enjoyed nature. I only wish that I had brought my dog.

All that's to say, sometimes you should still head outdoors even if conditions aren't great, plans can and should change to meet the conditions you face.