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

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

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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