[pct-l] Southern California Water

[Jeff Eckert <jeeter@cari.net>]

Greg Prothman wrote:

> <snip>    Want to go hiking somewhere on either
> Section B C or D.  What do you know about the snow situation on these
> sections?  I realize that on C you come off at Big Bear due to the fire
> closure.
> Just before I left You were going on a hike, where did you go and how was
> it.    Has it rained enough to have water on the trails now?

Marge,  the only information I have is at least a month old.  Tom Rodgers of
the PCT-L hiked A and B during the same time that Jim, Kelly and I hiked out
of Idyllwild, and he did not find water to be as much of a problem as he was
planning for.  However, when I hiked from Warner to Anza, on the weekend of
January 21, we only found water in Nance Canyon.  My partner and I were both
surprised to find a creek running there, as was Paul at the Oasis.  There
were a few seeps on the trail, coming off of Combs peak, but nothing more
than dampness on the trail, or a glisten on the rock.  I can't imagine that
there is anything but patchy snow on San Jacinto, if that.  It is still quite
warm here, and like Charley said, quite dry.

On the plus side however, I found that with the cooler temperatures of
"winter", I didn't need as much water as I had planned for.  Four quarts a
day was enough for me, and my hiking partner made do with three.  We didn't
use the water available at the end of Chihuahua Valley Rd. And, we had
stashed water at Tule Canyon Truck Trail and the Jeep Trail, but we only used
the water stash at Tule Canyon.

When we finished the hike, we drove back out the Jeep trail, to pick up the
water jugs, and were politely told by folks in a cruising Camray, "this is a
private road you know."  We told them that we were picking up after
ourselves, and they allowed as how that would be acceptable, and let us
pass.  Evidently, that area is speculative property, and perhaps someday, the
trail will be winding past the backyards of custom homes.

Regards,

Jeff E


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