[pct-l] Using straw to collect water from seeps

[Scott Williams]

Absolutely.

First it's got to be a seep that has some flow to it, no matter how small.
If it's just a flat puddle, use a scoop of some sort.  But if it's
dribbling or trickling over a rock or back in a small cave where you can't
fit the bottle, you simply hold the straw into a bit of the trickle and put
the other end into a water bottle.  If you can prop it all in place, all
the better, otherwise you've got to sit there holding it all for as long as
it takes.  When you're really thirsty, it doesn't matter how long.

Of all places to really put this to the test, it was on the PCT in WA,
first long day north of Steven's Pass.  It had been dry for a few days (an
unusual situation for our hike across WA that year) and we had planned on
camping at a creek so no one had carried very much water.  When we got to
camp, however, the damned stream was totally dry and a waterfall that was
raging high up in a rocky jumble, was all flowing underground.  We tried to
get at it and couldn't scramble close enough to the falls to get any.
Really crazy.  This was wet, wet WA!

Eventually, and in desperation, several of us took everybody's water
bottles and went hunting.  About a mile north we came upon a seep.  This
guy was tucked way back in a small rocky grotto and we couldn't get any of
the bottles in close enough to get any of it.  Out come the trusty straws!
They fit back into the tiny crevasses where the water was flowing and with
several straws and several bottles and about a half hour of seep
collecting, we were able to fill all the bottles and avert a dry camp that
night.

Later that evening when we were all in our tents it began to pour and
within an hour or two, that stream was a full on cataract.  Oh, well.  But
the straws worked really well when we needed them.  There have been several
other times when it was the difference between water and no water, but not
many.  Usually you do just fine without, but they weigh almost nothing and
if I'd only used it this once, it would have paid for its extra weight in
my pack all these years.  My straw is usually a long, relatively thick
straw from a slushy or smoothy so it has a little spoon scoop on one end
and has some length.  You can cut it in half and piece it back together if
the full length is needed.  Simple little thing, but it does work.

Shroomer

On Wed, Jan 7, 2015 at 10:09 AM, River Malcolm <river at orcasonline.com>
wrote:

> Hey Shroom,
>
> Can you explain to me (my partner and I joke that together we make one
> mechanical moron) HOW you use a straw to collect water at seeps?
>
> Thanks,
> River
>
> On Wed, Jan 7, at Jan 7  10:00, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2015 10:13:41 -0800
> > From: Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com>
> > To: Brian Watt <bwatt at 1fifoto.com>
> > Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Fwd: Camlbak All Clear
> > Message-ID:
> >       <
> CAGxcj12HtMQ6i6G4bDpO1RTkMkE+xv_GUTrPKFAF9AoWfNGpBg at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> >
> > Set up properly and with a relatively clean filter, a gravity feed is not
> > much slower than simply squeezing the bag.  Usually takes just a few
> > minutes to fill a liter.  And yeah you need something to fill with.  A
> > simple scoop works as noted, and I've used stiff leaves to channel water
> > and always carry a straw for those seeps.  The straw works well.
> Shroomer
> > On Jan 6, 2015 9:44 AM, "Brian Watt" <bwatt at 1fifoto.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Robert,
> >> I was always amazed at how creative and inventive some of the other
> >> thru-hikers were when it came to getting water from seeps and small
> springs
> >> especially in their use of leaves, twigs and rocks to create a flow that
> >> could be gathered and used.
> >> Bri/Tartan
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> River Malcolm
> river at orcasonline.com
>
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