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

[Kevin Cook]

Diane it sounds like you have the same idea of what is safe. If I'm
understanding you correctly, you're saying to not count on the caches. Isn't
that what we're all saying?

You're also demonstrating another point. Everyone uses different amounts of
water. Reading the quantities you carried makes me thirsty. I know the
guideline is a gallon a day per person, but personally, I prefer closer to 6
liters. Carrying 3.5 liters heading into a 30 miles dry stretch is
unacceptable to me. I'm envious of how efficient your body is at conserving
water! Now, I've had occasion in The Canyon to hike hike 15 miles on 1 liter
after a dry camp where we didn't cook for lack of water. Sure, I can do it,
but I don't want to, and if I read my maps and plan correctly, I don't have
to! :)

I appreciate your perspective though. You've made it clear that water is out
there reliably. Maybe us thru hikers are getting lazy? When I read the WP
guidebooks, they talk about side trips to water. I always thought that was a
bummer, but it is what it is. It sounds like a lot of hikers don't want to
leave the trail for water perhaps.

I feel a little less anxious about water. There really was no reason to get
anxious I guess. In the frenzy of last minute preparations I think I just
overreacted to the thought that I really hadn't thought too much about water
yet. I'll go back to my plan of looking at the water report the week before
I leave and base my plans on that.

Thanks Melanie for getting this topic going and to everyone else for sharing
their, more experienced, perspectives. I'm not worried about water now :)

On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 5:19 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

>
> On Jan 12, 2011, at 3:47 PM, Paul Robison wrote:
>
> > better safe than sorry
>
> I guess I just disagree or have a different idea about what is safer.
> I think it is safer to know where the water supplies are and have it
> already planned in your mind that you are going to get your water
> there. So what if there's no water at 3rd Gate Cache? I planned for
> there being no water between Rodriguez Spring and Barrel Spring
> anyway, and if there's an emergency, there's a water source a mile
> away from 3rd Gate. So what if there's no water at Scissors Crossing?
> There's always hitching a ride to Julian where I can get water and my
> fill of Apple Pie if my 5.5 liters of water somehow didn't make it
> the 4 hours of downhill, cool morning hiking from Rodriquez Spring.
>