[pct-l] Water caches
Phil Baily
pbaily at webuniverse.net
Mon Dec 31 16:13:31 CST 2007
I have only read some of the postings on this topic, but I always
read L-Rod's postings because they are well-written and well thought
out. They usually stimulate my thinking. Here are some additional
and overlapping thoughts.
--- Most of the PCT is not wilderness. Some of it is very far from
that. Most of the caches that I have seen have not been in designated
wilderness areas. Wishing an area was more wilderness-like should not
be a reason for eliminating caches. There should be none in
designated wilderness areas.
--- Using caches for trash disposal is just as reprehensible as
dumping trash trailside where there is no cache. However, it is not a
good reason for deleting caches any more than it is a good reason for
deleting roads.
--- My personal use of caches has depended strongly on season,
weather and the accuracy of my own advance estimates of water needs.
Their advertised presence does bring piece-of-mind and has made
hiking more pleasant when I have availed myself of their benefits. I
try not to use more than necessary. They are a big help to lots of
people, particularly those who walk lower mileage days than most of
those on this list. In my opinion they are extremely helpful,
particularly in some areas. They are desirable but not but not a
necessity. Of course, many cross-country hikers would say the same
about trails.
--- Locating caches off-trail with directional signs on the trail is
not a solution to anything. It only determines who (walkers on which
trail) gets to walk past and observe the cache, unless it is not on
any trail and then it is really changing the nature of an undisturbed
area, not just the trail. Location should be for the convenience of
the users and the maintainers.
--- The esthetic pleasure or displeasure associated with a cache of
bottles on the ground tied with a string and a cache with wooden case
with neatly arranged bottles on and behind it and a cache with a
sign-in register and marked by a paper skeleton hanging from a tree
is in the eye of the beholder. One is not any esthetically better or
worse than the other.
Thanks to all the cache maintainers, and to those who use them neatly.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HYOH
Pieces
At 10:57 AM 12/31/07, Donna \"L-Rod\" Saufley wrote:
>As always, great thoughts. I like the idea of the caches being away
>from the trail, out of sight. It has the secondary benefit of
>keeping the cache itself safe from vandals and those who are not the
>intended recipients of the water. By my own actions, I have proven
>that I want to help (some could rightfully say enable) hikers along
>their journey. I understand the kindness and love, not to mention
>physical toil, that goes into placing and maintaining a cache. I am
>on the side of trail angels, and cannot blame anyone for wanting to
>help the hikers. But there is another voice within me that plays
>devil's advocate, and is voicing what I've heard directly from hikers.
>
>I have trouble with the idea of leaving anything in a wilderness
>area, on a trail that is reputed to be a wilderness trail. The
>trash and debris that has been getting left behind in recent years
>not only blows away, it is temptation for wildlife and potentially
>dangerous to them. Isn't leaving anything at all in a wilderness
>area against the law? How are we (collective hiker community) able
>to justify defying those laws? Because we're special, and it made
>our hike easier? Because what we're doing is good for our guys, so
>let's alter the environment to suit ourselves? I have a lot of
>trouble with this morally and ethically. It seems to me that the
>practice of leaving caches does not align with Leave No Trace principles.
>
>According to the most experienced PCT thru-hikers (categorized as
>those who've hiked it multiple times over a period of years) there
>IS water to be had along the trail. It takes effort to get to,
>sometimes as far as a mile off trail. But it's there, and the trail
>can be hiked without use of any caches, even in drought years. Of
>course, there are many people who either do not want to carry more
>water, lack the skills or patience to find these water sources, or
>simply would not want to have this type of challenge added to an
>already challenging hike. The reality is that caches are in fact
>making the trail possible for some who would otherwise not be out
>there for whatever the reason.
>
>I remember not too long ago the discussion regarding the graffiti on
>signage up north -- specifically the helpful directional
>signs. Yes, the graffiti was helpful and made the hike
>easier. Yes, it was great not to have to stop and take out the
>map. But the fact is it is graffiti defacing the signage and
>against the law, and therefore it is quite technically
>wrongdoing. How does leaving caches differ?
>
>I fear that we look at the kindness and intent, as well as the fact
>that it may prove opportune or convenient, and forget to consider
>the impacts to the world in which we are all stewards. We justify
>-- and even applaud it -- it because it suits us, without regard to
>the law or consequences. It's easy to do when you don't stick
>around to see the consequences.
>
>L-Rod
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: jeff.singewald at comcast.net
>Sent: Dec 30, 2007 7:49 PM
>To: Postholer , pct-l at backcountry.net
>Cc: AsABat at 4Jeffrey.Net
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Water caches
>
>It is obvious there is a wide range of positions re: water caches,
>but I am curious about the history of these organized water
>caches. So a question or two for the old time thru-hikers (Stryder,
>Monte Dodge and others). When did these organized water caches
>begin to be common place along the PCT? How in the world did you
>guys/gals make it to Canada without these water caches? For those
>that hike the trail before these water caches became common place,
>would you prefer to have had the luxury of these caches?
>
>I am not a fan of these caches, but one idea that was brought up
>earlier has significant merit. Why not place the water caches
>off-trail, maybe 1/4 - 1/2 mile off-trail, so that if you need an
>emergency cache, you can go off-trail to reach it, without too much
>difficulty. This idea would seem to please those that are opposed
>to on-trail caches as well as those that feel a strong desire to
>provide emergency assistence to thru-hikers.
>
>This is not all that much different than support provided at Hiker
>Heaven or the Andersons or even the Manns. You would need to detour
>off-trail to take advantage of this trail-angel support, rather than
>placing the assistence right atop the trail like so many of these caches.
>
>Elevator
>-------------- Original message --------------
>From: "Postholer" <public at postholer.com>
>
> > Water caches; a quote directly from the pen of the Mann's:
> >
> > "I knew which caches were fairly reliable, and where the
> alternate off-trail
> > water sources were, if a cache was empty."
> >
> > By this description the on-trail cache has become the source. Going
> > off-trail is 'the alternate' to the cache!
> >
> > Are the cache maintainers 'getting it' yet? If you really care
> about helping
> > hikers, fix it. You're a small group and you probably communicate. You
> > already know what needs to be done. Change this before you can't.
> >
> > The Mann's complete post:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2007-December/012135.html
> >
> > -postholer
> > --------------------------------- --- > Trails : http://Postholer.Com
> > Journals : http://Postholer.Com/journal
> > Maps : http://Postholer.Com/gmap
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-l mailing list
> > Pct-l at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>_______________________________________________
>Pct-l mailing list
>Pct-l at backcountry.net
>To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):
>http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/attachments/20071231/29d8714e/attachment.html
More information about the Pct-L
mailing list