[pct-l] water cache sabotage?

[Bob Bankhead]

A rare but unpleasant event. Nonetheless, it reinforces the concept of planning ahead and personal responsibility rather than simply relying on water caches that might be empty when you arrive. I ran into more than one of those on my trip. Timing is everything.

In August of 2002, there was a bout of non-hiker-related criminal activity along the road near Cache 22 (at road 22 on the Hat Creek Rim), and apparently the same individual was also destroying cache 22 almost every night. 

He was never caught, but there was much discussion at the Old Station store centered around the scenario wherein a group of through-hikers caught him in the act and administered "trail justice". Opinions were divided on whether the sheriff would get the leavings or the body would simply disappear. If this is a hiker, perhaps the scenario will become reality.

Fortunately, the local trail angels went up every day and refilled the cache, plus set out multiple gallon jugs of water just off the trail before and after the cache, figuring the guy couldn't find them all. 


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Scott Thompson 
  To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
  Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 4:43 AM
  Subject: [pct-l] water cache sabotage?


  Thru-hiker Uncle Tom reports that one or more water caches have suffered 
  damage and water loss:

  "Getting water is difficult enough, but now...(some) hikers are making a 
  point of taking an ice pick to the plastic jugs people put out here as 
  water caches."

  Journal entry here:

  http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=305320


  Any confirmation it's a current hiker doing this?



  scott t.