[pct-l] Hat Creek Rim and Lost Creek

[Deems]

Don't try to hike down to the water you can hear so far below unless you are 
dyingly desperate. The Hat Creek Rim section is one of the USFS poorest 
chosen routes for the PCT; as none of their water well drilling or built 
trails to water on the rim in the early 1980s ever came to fruition. The PCT 
should have been built west of Hwy 89 from Burney Falls to Thousand Lakes 
Wilderness to Lassen NP as Clinton Clarke intended; and hopefully someday, 
with the support of the PCTA and the usfs, it will finally be  rerouted 
along the original PCT that Clinton Clarke envisioned. As you hike along the 
Hat Creek Rim, you will be looking across at the 1000 Lakes Wilderness with 
its alpine summits, glacial lakes, creeks and find your thirst unquenched. 
This link is the view down to the Lost Creek water so far below (and out of 
view to the lower right.)  If not for the local trail angels, there would be 
no drinkable water along the Hat Creek Rim. Kudos to them, and scorns to the 
usfs.
http://www.pbase.com/losthiker/image/97754979
~~~
Howdie,

The ~26 miles of the PCT that includes the Hat Creek Rim seems to be
infamous for a lack of water.  I find this rather confusing as there
is a natural spring (Lost Creek) within ~700ft (~400ft of height) of
the trail.  Lost Creek feeds two PG&E power houses and appears to be
thousands of gallons per minute.  However, it is ~6mi from Old
station, so, that leaves another ~20mi to Crystal and Brown Lakes.

Am I missing something?  Not drinkable?  Too many boulders?

- Colby