The way people plan water carries on the PCT is all wrong

I keep seeing people online and on trail talking about carrying 6 liters of water through the desert sections on the PCT. Like they fill up at a water cache and then walk 20 miles with a gallon and a half on their back. I did the section from Scissors Crossing to Barrel Spring last April and only carried 3 liters. The thing is most of the water reports are based on normal snow years. We had a big snow year in 2023 so there were way more seasonal creeks flowing than people expected. I saw a guy with a 7 liter load drop his pack and walk a quarter mile to a flowing creek he passed. He could have just filtered there. My method is to check satellite images from 2 weeks before I hit a section and look for green vegetation patches. Then I carry 2 liters max and trust I can find water. Has anyone else noticed this trend of overpacking water on the PCT?

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3 Comments

the_elliot4mo ago

Wait, you mean I didn't need to be a camel impersonator hauling enough water to invade a small country through the desert?

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mason7284mo ago

Why is it always after you suffer through something that you find out there was a way easier way?

6

jessec394mo ago

Oh man, ain't that the truth. You bust your back doing it the hard way and then someone like @the_elliot casually mentions the trick that would have saved you an hour. It's almost like the universe waits for you to finish struggling before showing you the shortcut. Makes you wonder if it's some kind of test or just bad luck. Either way it's annoyingly consistent.

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