[pct-l] So. Calif. Desert Water Caches

Tue Jan 11 22:27:02 CST 2011

Hi Melanie, besides Diane's sage advice, you might want to factor in the following on thinking about what your water carryload is going to be: if you encounter heat (for me high 80's +) are you hiking during the heat of the day or laying up until it gets cooler and hiking on after dinner for a couple of hours? Are you willing/planning on hiking anywhere from 1/4 to 1 mile off trail to a spring etc for a water fillup? Are you going to drycamp in a certain stretch (in which case you'll need more water, particularly if you are cooking)? And remember, somewhat like food, the faster you are moving on the trail, the less water you will need to carry between water sources. My limited relevant experience was section hiking B in '07 in mid-May. Noon hour temps were 86 to 97F.  The max I carried was 4 liters, even when dry camping (I was stoveless - very dry that year). And, as I think Diane has indicated, the Trail will clarify how you need to proceed, what you need to carry.  Enjoy your time on the Trail - it will be your teacher and partner.
Cruz Control
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-----Original Message-----
From: Melanie Clarke <melaniekclarke at gmail.com>
Sender: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:47:08 
To: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes<diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
Cc: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] So. Calif. Desert Water Caches

Dear Diane,

I'm planning on joining the K.O. to do the Southern CA section so there
should be a lot of hikers.  I can't take too much time away from work.  Most
of my hiking has been in the Sierra with plentiful water sources.  I've
taken the family on day hikes in Death Valley, Zion, Bryce etc. but we were
never very far from our car or water.  I have postholer's water source lists
and have been studying Halfmile's maps.  I'm good with heat but I do sweat a
lot and have to drink a lot of water.  In a dry heat, I won't see any sweat
but I still drink a lot of water.  I can hike comfortably in 100 degrees.
I'm a little uncomfortable at 110 degrees but can pretty much soldier on
without symptoms of heat stroke.  I am able to drink almost 2 liters at a
water source and "camel" for a while.  Still, I think I'll take at least 5
liters out of paranoia and keep it full.  When I do the entire PCT after I
retire I'll have the experience of my water needs in the desert.  Wow, 9
liters is well over 2 gallons so I think I'm "figuring" just about right.

Melanie

On Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 4:00 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

> I will assume you aren't going right now like the original person said. The
> original person said that they were ready to hike that section now. Right
> now any stream that was indicated as seasonal would be in season at this
> moment and there might be a few streams not mentioned in the various guides
> that would have some bonus water. Also, right now the weather is pretty cool
> of not downright cold.
>
> As for how much water you need, what you need to do is get the latest water
> report before you go so you know where the water is. Then you need to know
> yourself. How much water do you normally drink? Are you from the east coast
> or the Pacific Northwest and not used to hiking in the warm sun? You can
> usually reach one water source each day. Even if they are more than 20 miles
> apart, you will be able to do it.
>
> I am from So Cal, I am used to the conditions, I don't have a problem being
> a little dehydrated when I hike. It doesn't bother me. I'm used to the hot
> sun. I wear long pants and long sleeves and a large hat to optimize my
> ability to stand it. I will drink out of guzzlers and other sources (I can't
> believe I met hikers who did all of So Cal without ever having to drink out
> of anything they found objectionable like a guzzler. They did it all on
> water caches and faucets.) When I hiked in 2008 I didn't find it terribly
> hot most of the time. It was fairly pleasant. There were a few days that
> were hot. Deep Creek day was 103. I had 5.5 liters of capacity and that was
> too much. I managed to keep it close to full, too, out of paranoia. Man, was
> that heavy! I returned the following year with only 3.5 liters of capacity
> and made sure I drank a liter at every water source so I didn't have to
> carry so much. That worked better for me.
>
> Other people carried 9 liters and drank every drop. So to answer the
> question, you have to know yourself.
>
> Good luck with your hike!
>
>
>
> On Jan 11, 2011, at 7:22 AM, Melanie Clarke wrote:
>
>  Dear Diane,
>>
>> How much water should I bring during some of those long stretches of no
>> water?  About 2 gallons?  I don't want to have to depend on water caches.
>>
>> Melanie
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 8:00 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
>> diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
>>
>>  After the rain we've had, you can do that section without water
>>> caches. Heck, you can do it without water caches during thru-hiker
>>> season, too.
>>> Diane
>>>
>>> On Jan 10, 2011, at 6:14 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> When do the desert water caches begin to be replenished for the 2011
>>>> season...? I'm ready to do Scissors to San Jacinto now.
>>>>
>>>> Oregon Bound
>>>>
>>>
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