[pct-l] How much water????

[Erik The Black]

Hi Crystal, 

You will probably consume at least 8 liters of water per day in the desert
between hiking and camping. But you will not need to carry that much except
in rare situations where the water sources are very spread out (like 30
miles or more).

For the most part, there is water available about every 20 miles or less on
the PCT, even in Southern California.

Personally, I drink about 2-3 liters of water for every ten miles of hiking
in hot, dry weather. So, I rarely carry more than 5-6 liters at a time. At
more than 2+ lbs per liter water is heavy! So you want to carry as much as
you need to be comfortable and safe, but not much more.

The most important thing is to know where the water sources are along the
trail, how reliable they are, and where you are in relation to them (because
some of them are easy to miss). 

I recommend Asabat's Water Report (http://www.4jeffrey.net/pct/), which
includes the most up-to-date water status info for SoCal, combined with the
PCT Atlas (http://www.pctatlas.com), which shows the locations of all the
major water sources right on the maps.

Once you know where the water sources are you can figure out how much water
to carry on each leg of your journey. It will vary from day to day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Tips For Staying Hydrated While Reducing Water Weight:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Camel Up. Drink a liter of water (or as much as you can) at each water
source right before you hike out. That is one less liter you will have to
carry on your back.

* Siesta. Plan your day so that you hit a water source at around 10am. If
you can do that, then you can just hang out at the water (and hopefully some
shade) for 4-6 hours during the mid-day, drinking your fill and avoiding the
heat... and then do the rest of your hiking in the cool evening.

* Umbrella. A lightweight umbrella (like the Golite Chrome Dome) provides
portable shade that goes with you wherever you go, keeping the hot sun off
your head so you don't sweat as much and get sick from sun exposure.

* Night Hike. The desert is cool and beautiful at night. All the animals
come out from their dens and it transforms from a wasteland into lively
place. Night hiking is especially nice if you have a full moon to guide you,
but a headlamp will do.


Happy Trails!
Erik The Black

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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:44:56 -0700
From: CRYSTAL NEZGODA <littlevixsin at gmail.com>
Subject: [pct-l] How much water????
To: pct-l <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID:
	<86a66fba0909110944u515e1887ufe5aafb627a50034 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I am planning a section A and B hike for next season, the green pct book
says to bring atleast 8 liters of water per day... so I was wondering if you
guys could tell me about your experience with the desert section and water