Re: [pct-l] 27 days and counting!

[Stephen Martin <troubadour@pcthiker.com>]

on 3/22/00 1:10 AM, Hillman, David at David.Hillman@telecheck.com wrote:
> 1.  I am worried about water in southern California.  I have ordered the PCT
> data book but have not received it.  Will this book give water locations?
> Also does it give info about the next water hole (distance)?  How much water
> do you normally carry in the "waterless" areas ( 4 liters)?  ANY advice will
> be greatly appreciated.

The Data Book will give you information about water sources and alert you to
major distances (10 plus miles I believe) between water. It won't, however,
tell you which sources have dried up. The guidebooks for the PCT (California
and Oregon and Washington) give really good descriptions of water sources as
well as those off the trail. You should take those guides with you as well.

How much water you carry depends. I started out carrying a lot. From Scissor
Creek to Barrel Springs I carried 6 liters of water because the guides said
to expect severe heat for the 23 mile waterless stretch. It turned out that
I needed less than half of this amount.

As the hike progressed, I learned to drink as much water as possible in camp
and in the morning before setting off so that I didn't have to carry so much
with me during the day. I learned that I prefered to carry less and hike
further and faster to make it to the next water source. For the 32 mile
waterless stretch up to McGiver spring I carried only 2.5 liters to cover
the distance. However, there were those who carried much more in case they
didn't make it that far. I made the decision to carry less and make certain
I made it.

As you travel you'll learn what your body needs and what method works best
for you.


> 2.  I am also concerned about being warm enough.  What is a gear list of
> clothes normally worn on the trail?

I have my gear list posted on my website at http://www.pcthiker.com. You can
take a look at it. From Campo to Washington the warmest gear I had was a
midweight long underwear top, gortex jacket and nylon rain pants. I tend to
run warm though.

> 3.  Is hunting (blow gun) allowed on the trail?  Is this bad hiker
> etiquette?

You'll have to  check the hunting regulations for whichever forest you are
in to determine if it is legal. That's one question. Another question is
whether or not you are going to have the strength and energy to expend on
hunting. And, what are you going to hunt? Marmots?


Troubadour
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