View Full Version : No More Water Caches?
fredmugs
03-02-2015, 21:30
Saw this posted on Facebook today.
http://www.pcta.org/2015/problem-water-caches-pct-27677/
I guess they are not going to eliminate all of the caches but maybe only ones they approve of. Sounds like lots of pros and cons either way but after spending time in the military and civil service I'm always wary of organizational based decisions.
Spirit Walker
03-02-2015, 21:54
I agree with the PCTA. I've seen the trash left behind at water caches. Hikers are told not to depend on the water, but then the water report says there is a cache, so people arrive either empty or with too little water to get to the next source. I've seen how the caches have gotten bigger and bigger. With more and more hikers out there, the problem will get worse. In 1999 there was a cache along Hat Creek Rim. In 2000, there was no cache, but a hiker went out expecting it, with only one quart of water to carry him over 30 miles. Luckily he ran into a couple of dayhikers, who helped him, but he got lucky. When we hiked in 2000, there were very few caches, and they were small and uncertain, so we didn't count on them. By 2009 and 2010, when we went back to hike southern California again, they had gotten huge and people did count on them.
:clap:clap
I think this will go a long way to tame (unWild) the trail!
Agreed ... I'm not planning on any caches at all and increasing frequency of resupply to keep my pack weight under control. It's best this way, and best for people to know ahead of time to never rely on caches.
I'm guessing if they get rid of the Scissors Crossing cache Julian will see a lot more hikers.
Sasquatch!
03-03-2015, 04:32
So much depends on how hot it is this year in SoCal, as well as how many natural, normally reliable, water sources dry up.
There are several caches I can think of that are very much needed, and will likely remain. Like, third gate cache, for example. That's a keeper.
A cache in between Hikertown and Tehachapi/Mojave. Thats one to keep. In between Cajon Pass and Wrightwood...
There are a few other spots.
I'm guessing if they get rid of the Scissors Crossing cache Julian will see a lot more hikers.
There's a campground closer than Julian although the famous pie may draw me into town...
garlic08
03-03-2015, 09:12
There's a campground closer than Julian although the famous pie may draw me into town...
Nothing wrong with going into Julian. The place thrives on tourism and they'll probably welcome the slight increase in traffic. When I lived in San Diego it was a favorite place to bicycle to. When I hiked the PCT a couple decades later, I was almost disappointed to see the water cache--that meant I didn't really have to go into town.
Missing some water caches will make real desert hikers out of folks a little earlier. Well-maintained, dependable caches become a crutch, like keeping training wheels on a kid's bike too long.
Nothing wrong with going into Julian. The place thrives on tourism and they'll probably welcome the slight increase in traffic. When I lived in San Diego it was a favorite place to bicycle to. When I hiked the PCT a couple decades later, I was almost disappointed to see the water cache--that meant I didn't really have to go into town.
Missing some water caches will make real desert hikers out of folks a little earlier. Well-maintained, dependable caches become a crutch, like keeping training wheels on a kid's bike too long.
Everyone I talked to who went into Julian had good things to say about it.
It just didn't fit in with my resupply schedule: Lake Morena, Mt. Laguna, <Julian>, Warner Springs. As I recall it was only 50-60ish miles from Mt. Laguna to Warner Springs.