WATER!

CA Section F: Tehachapi Pass to Walker Pass 85.6 miles. Total Miles 652.1!

Why does water never laugh at jokes? It isn’t a fan of dry humor.

The PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association) maintains a crowdsourced water report for the critical dry sections of the trail. Below are some notes for this section: 

Tehachapi to Walker Pass is the driest section of the Pacific Crest Trial. This section is also much more remote than any of the previous PCT sections with fewer road crossings, and almost no cell phone service. A reliable water cache in this area will require more than 1,000+ gallons of water per hiking season and to the best of our knowledge no one is currently able to provide that much water in this remote section of the PCT. Carry extra water and don't expect to find any reliable water caches in this section of the PCT.

Later in the report is this cautionary note:

Study latest water reports carefully, Landers Camp (mile 608.9) may be the only reliable ON-TRAIL water for 42.4 miles until Walker Pass. DO NOT RELY ON THE WATER CACHES AT KELSO VALLEY ROAD AND BIRD SPRING PASS. They will both go dry multiple times during the peak hiking season.

Wow! Add to that the 4+ days I'll be hiking this section will be the warmest days of the 2021 PCT hiking season so far, and you can imagine my level of concern. (Strenuous exercise in hot weather can result in sweat rates of greater than 2 liters per hour!) 

My strategy for this section was to hike when it was cooler (mornings and evenings), take advantage of shade to cool down, drink lots at every water source to rehydrate, and carry as much water as possible. For me the water carry limit was 6 liter which is over 13 pounds of water. 

In spite of all my efforts there was a 24 hour period where I just couldn't seem to keep hydrated. I drank and drank and drank and still my mouth was dry and my urine output was low...I just couldn't keep up with how much I was perspiring. One night was especially warm, and I'm guessing I sweat a couple of liters just laying in my tent sleeping. The next morning I drank three liters before I felt normal again. 

But in spite of the challenge, I did survive! There was, thanks to some dedicated trail angels, water at both Kelso Valley Road and Bird Spring Pass. While a challenge, it was a strangely beautiful section and there were fewer hikers on trail making it feel even more remote and wild. After completing this section, I now feel strong and ready to face the new challenges of the High Sierra!

Water Cache at Bird Spring Pass!

There are less than 50 miles left to reach Kennedy Meadows (not to be confused with the other Kennedy Meadows near Sonora Pass) which is considered the end of the desert and the beginning of the Sierras. My resupply package there will include a bear canister and micro spikes for snow on the high mountain passes. I've decided against carrying my light weight ice axe since this is a low snow year. I'm getting excited to be done with the desert.

I'm currently writing this from an air conditioned motel room in Ridgecrest, CA. Eva picked me up at Walker Pass on Highway 178 and took me and two other hikers to Ridgecrest to rest and resupply. We'll have two days together before she drops me back off at Walker Pass. The next time I'll see her will probably be Lake Tahoe! As always, thanks for following along!