[pct-l] water caches in july

[AsABat at 4Jeffrey.Net (AsABat)]

Water caching is all done by volunteers and is not organized by any one
group. Most caches are placed to meet the needs of a thru-hiker on the
traditional schedule. Therefore, many caches in Southern California are
generally NOT maintained in July as the thru-hikers are in the Sierra and
north by then.

I would suggest a few ideas:

1. Watch this list for people reporting that they have placed a cache, and
contact them politely to see if they can help. I see one already has
offered.

2. Cache water yourself before the hike. I'd suggest hiding the water away
from the trail so only you can find it, and leaving a note with it that you
are relying on that water.

3. This year I am experimenting with a water report website at
www.4Jeffrey.Net/pctwater . The information there is only as good as the
reports I receive from PCT-L, the PCTA trail conditions page, and scanning
online trail journals. If it's not on that page, I don't know about it.

It is also important to note that conditions can change quickly. All reports
on the website are dated, so you can try to figure what it might be like
when you get there. Even if there is a cache with lots of water, you should
have enough water to survive to the next water source in case those ahead of
you used all the water. BTW, it's definitely not cool to use cached water
for showers!

AsABat