Not nearly as hard as it may look. Thinking, at that moment, would have been the worst possible thing to do and could easily lead to a fall. Staying loose and keeping on pedaling were the requirements of the moment.

Having ridden through that creek a few times before I knew that my only concern was that the gravel base might shift a little as my wheel hit it, but momentum, good weight distribution and letting the bike move around just enough will almost always get me through it with no drama.

This video he shot that day shows me rolling up to a rest stop at 4:35 and then shows several people riding through the creek pictured above. In fact, I come through at 5:33 though the camera angle isn't good as he was using the still camera at the time.