Water carry during dry stretches

[GlobeTrotter]

Quick question: I am on the road without the guidebook/databook in front of me, but I believe I recall there being some stretches of 20-30 miles with low water availability.

In order to plan how much carrying capacity I need to have with me between reservoirs/bottles, just curioius what some of those of you with experience hiking there carried as water until the next section? 3 liters?

Thanks!

[K6VOI]

We are starting our first CT hike July 26 - for the long stretches without water - those 20 milers - My hubby and will carry ALOT! I drink a ton of water and I would rather be safe that sorry. I will be carrying 6 liters and the hubby 6 liters - yep its a lot of weight, but I cannot live on 3 liters of water for a 20 mile dry section. I would rather be safe than sorry. Hopefully, some trip reports will come in before we leave and we can get a better idea of the dry stretches.

[Cookerhiker]

For the long stretches where we'd end up camping by that scarce water, I'd carry 2 1/2 liters from the last water source. If we knew we'd have a dry camp for the night, I had an extra liter (flattened, lightweight Platypus) which I'd fill up and also bring.

A lot depends on your pace and where you camp. Here's some examples of what we did:

Segment 2 - entire segment is dry but it's only 11.5 miles and you have water at both ends (S.Platte River at north, USFS firestation at south). We camped in the middle of the segment, which is very dry and open, i.e. no shade so I packed 3 liters from the S. Plattte.

Segment 16 - started with 2 1/2 at Marshall Pass (water available), hiked 11.6 miles to Tank Seven Creek, filled up and cooked hot dinners, hiked another 7.4 miles and dry-camped. Carried 3 1/2 in this stretch.

Next day - hiked about 4 miles to Baldy Lake, went down to the lake to refill (half mile straight downhill, hiked on to Pine Creek in Segment 18 with 2 1/2 bottles. Total of 18.5 miles with no water at Razor or Lujan Creeks. Enroute shortly before Segment 18, we came to Appel's setup with its water and soft drinks. Is he always there? As Mags has said, never count on the continued presence of a Trail Angel.

Next day - hiked 19 miles to Cochetopa Creek with 2 1/2 liters. Although a few people told us there was water at VanTassel gulch, we couldn't find it.

So in general, what kept us from having to usually carry 3+ liters was our willingness to (1) hike 18-19 miles and (2) hike the steep half-mile down to Baldy Lake. If your pace is 10-12 MPD, you may have to carry more - no, you will have to carry more.

2 more tips based on our experience:

1. We had planned to camp at the last crossing of Straight Creek in Segment 26, giving us a 14.5 mile day. The creek was flush but camping (we used tents) was untenable because of the slope and rocky ground. So we stopped, cameled up, cooked hot meals, and hiked on another 1+ mile for another dry camp, carrying 3 1/2 liters.

2. From this Segment 26 campsite, we faced 21 miles until Taylor Lake and we had used a little water on the last portion of the previous day's hike plus breakfast. The problem with hiking 21 miles is that you'd ascend the 12K+ Indian Trail Ridge in the afternoon during the thunderstorm period. We lucked out by finding the "seasonal" spring just past Segment mile 12.3. So we camped there and hit the Indian Trail Ridge in the early morning under customary bright sunshine.

As you're hiking and meet people coming in the opposite direction, be sure to ask them about water. I probably don't have to tell you that!

[GlobeTrotter]

Cookerhiker, that is alot of fabulous info! Thanks alot for the contribution. I do plan to hike closer to 20mile days on average and tend to do dry breakfasts, so based on your breakdown and camping strategies, I will bring a 4 litre capacity to be safe. Awesome, thanks again!

[Coffee]

My usual setup includes two 700ml Smartwater bottles and a 2L platypus for total capacity of 3.4L. For the CT I will switch one of the 700ml bottles for a full liter and may throw an extra 2L platypus in my pack since they only weigh around 1.5 ounces. That would give me 5.7 liters of capacity, more than enough to dry camp and have ample water for a long stretch the following day. I don't like the idea of being water constrained in terms of choice of campsites. At the same time water is heavy so unless I know that I'm heading into a dry section or dry camping, I would usually carry only 1 liter.

[bearcreek]

I normally carry two bottles - a 2 liter plastic coke bottle and a one liter coke bottle. I usually use the one liter bottle only and carry the larger one dry. I camel up whenever possible and fill both in the dry sections. I fill them both in camp so there is plenty of water for cooking. I have never needed more than three liters on the CT or the CDT. BTW, plastic coke bottles are much lighter than Nalgenes and they work well with a Sawyer filter.

[Mags]

A conservative rule of thumb is 1 liter per 5 miles. Add more water if dry camping (all depends on what you do for meals and how much you need to drink at night/get going in the morning)

[garlic08]

Mags' rule is a good one and is indeed conservative. My wife and I can each travel about ten miles on one liter in all but the hottest conditions. And we need 1/2 liter per person per night for dry camping. More is better, but we can survive on that. We know that for ourselves through long experience in the US Southwest.

We often hike with other strong, experienced desert hikers who need twice as much water. (And quite a few who need less.) So like I said, Mags' rule is a good, conservative one.

We made a map reading error and ran out of water on a long ridge on our CT hike (this was in 1990 and we didn't have a data book). It was easy enough to climb down a few hundred feet to a visible spring. There are often options that aren't on the map.

When I hike the CT again, I'll carry 3 liter capacity.

[GlobeTrotter]

Alot of great input here. Thanks to all the community!

[Likeapuma]

I have to also thank everyone for their input. I haven't done more than a 2 day/1 night hike in over a decade & next weekend I'm section hiking some of the NET in CT... Was wondering how much water to carry for dry camping. I drink a ton of water, probably because I'm overweight & out of shape!

I have two 1liter platypus bags & was thinking of also filling up a 2L reservoir at the last water of the night... Now I'm seeing that it might be overkill lol.

[Siarl]

I haven't hiked a thru hike as of yet but I have been hiking other hikes. I carry a three liter Camelbak as well as carry a spare empty 3 liter capacity Camelbak. I know it's more weight than necessary but I would rather be safe than sorry. I live in the desert and I have enough real life stories of others perishing in the desert for lack of water. You can go miles without food but not without water.

[quasarr]

On the PCT in SoCal, I always carried 6L to go 20 miles. On a hot day I usually drank about 5 of them. Like others have said, the amount you need can vary widely from person to person. I can easily go 10 miles on a single liter if the weather is pleasant. But I sweat a lot, and in really hot weather I can drink one liter PER HOUR.

And for me, dry camping means I need at least an extra liter because I am always really thirsty in the morning.

Like Siarl said, water is all about safety for me. We talk so much about gear but the one thing in your pack that you will definitely die the fastest without is water.

[garlic08]

On the PCT in SoCal, I always carried 6L to go 20 miles.

So did I. But I always had plenty, extra even. So I started paying close attention. By the time I got to Hat Creek Rim (a dry stretch in NoCal), I carried 3L to go 30 miles. A liter of water outweighs everything in my pack, including the pack, so I manage it carefully without being reckless. I've since made some 40+ mile water carries on the AZT with an overnight, with five liters. And then I met a guy doing the same stretch with three, a real desert rat.

[Old_Man]

Always better to have less water than not enough! I made that mistake last time I went hiking and got severely dehydrated. Nothing worse than waking up in the morning with no water to drink and a six mile hike in 90 degree heat to the next source.

[Coffee]

One thing to keep in mind as well is redundancy when it comes to containers. I prefer carrying four separate containers for my planned 5.7 liter maximum capacity rather than just two since the failure of any one container is not going to be a major safety issue. The two smartwater bottles are pretty durable and I've had good experience with the Platypus as well. But container failure is just one issue. A clumsy spill of a container could also be a disaster if all the water is in that container. I hope the CT dry sections will be a learning opportunity for me in preparation for the desert sections of the PCT.

[bearcreek]

Don't overthink this too much. For the most part, the CT has an abundance of water. The places it is a bit sketchy aren't all that long - as long as you carry enough to go 20 miles you will generally be fine but there is one place you need more.

It is illegal to camp close to the S Platte River at the end of Seg. 1 so you will need to dry camp just before or after it. Seg. 2 is in a burned out forest and can be stifiling hot. IMO, the closest thing to a desert hike on the CT. Carry enough to get to Fire Station or beyond. If you choose not to go to the Fire Station then you need to carry enough for about 18 miles.

Hikers should always stop at Baldy Lake in Seg 17 unless you have reliable information that Razor Creek is running. That makes it a 14 mile hike to West Pass Creek and Pine Creek just past Hwy 114.

There is almost always water available at Los Creek in Seg 18 but people don't find it. There is a strange little detour at R090XL that takes you away from the jeep trail along the valley bottom, up a short hill, then parallels the valley, then goes back to the original jeep trail after about 1/2 mile. The jeep trail used to go straight there but the valley was so wet it was causing environmental issues. (Jeeps were getting stuck in the mud) I have been there seven times and have always found water in the creek. There is even a small pond up there which is used for stock water. If you didn't find water there it would be about 18 miles from Pine Creek to Cochetopa Creek. Van Tassel gulch has always been seasonal and unreliable.

The most problematical piece is in Seg 26 - 27. Water is available just past Blackhawk Pass and cannot be counted upon again for 23 miles when you reach Kennebec Lake. This part is further complicated by the need to do the last 8-9 miles of it early in the day to avoid lightning strikes on Indian Trail Ridge. That requires a dry camp and extra water. If you should find yourself up there and desperate, there are water sources visible below the ridge to the east but they all would involve a steep bushwhack descent then climb to get back up.

Seg 28 returns you to lower elevations and has a 1000' climb after you cross the bridge at BB071B. It can seem very hot at times after becoming used to the higher, cooler temperatures experienced for the previous week or so. You should carry plenty to stay hydrated through there. The longest distance between reliable water sources is a bit under 12 miles.

You will need to carry extra water 4-5 times. For a 30+ day hike that is not so much.

[Coffee]

Bearcreek, I was planning to camp near seg 27 mile 6.5 (big bend trail junction) where the data book says water available 200 yards downhill from sign where Meadow meets trees. From your comments above, I take it that this may not always be a reliable source?

[bearcreek]

It is a stock watering setup and is probably good. I've only been there once and it was good then, but I'm not sure if it always is. I would still take enough water to make it if it does not work out. There is also a spring near AA013X where I have found water. It was muddy and slow, so no telling about this year, as we had a unusually dry winter in the San Juans.

[Cookerhiker]

Bearcreek, I was planning to camp near seg 27 mile 6.5 (big bend trail junction) where the data book says water available 200 yards downhill from sign where Meadow meets trees. From your comments above, I take it that this may not always be a reliable source?

It is a stock watering setup and is probably good. I've only been there once and it was good then, but I'm not sure if it always is. I would still take enough water to make it if it does not work out. There is also a spring near AA013X where I have found water. It was muddy and slow, so no telling about this year, as we had a unusually dry winter in the San Juans.

We were able to extract water from the "seasonal spring" just past Segment 27's mile 12.3 which is a great place to camp. This put us in a good position to tackle Indian Trail Ridge first thing the next morning when it was sunny.

This was late August but following a snowy winter (2010-11). I'm not sure this can be counted on, especially since this past winter was dry.

[Coffee]

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like it would be a good idea to be careful in this section. Not much food weight at that stage of the hike, so adding some water just to be safe shouldn't be that bad.