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At dinner the other night I asked Hatchet about water caches along our way from Tehachapi to Walker Pass, the most significantly dry section of the PCT. He mentioned several spots that might have water caches, including Kelso Road, but not to rely on prior experience or the advice of others. In particular he cautioned about trusting the advice of persons heading south on the trail, known as Southbounders.
One would expect that a Southbounder would have excellent knowledge of water resources north of their location, but Hatchet says no. I beg to disagree at this time. We met three Southbounders: Melani, Sasquatch, and Lemonade. All shared good intelligence about their water experiences.
Melani we met just before Robin Bird Spring two days ago. She had camped there and described the flow accurately as slow but adequate. She also told us of the cache at Kelso Road and Yellow Jacket Spring.
Sasquatch we found yesterday close to Landers Meadow Spring and he told us about Landers Meadow, Willow Spring and Yellow Jacket Spring. His info confirmed Melani's information.
Today we met Lemonade just south of Yellow Jacket Spring. He told us of the best place to get water from the seep. It was about 200 feet downstream from the first pool. That info was right on.
So, can you trust a Southbounder? You bet! At least until I find one that's wrong.
Hikingsolo
Haha. I say never trust them. Jk. Intel does change over a course of days though and perceptions too. Like when we went over Baden it was completely different than when you would have done it. Gather as much as you can from those you pass is our motto. Btw: loving this batch of posts as they are delightfully scrambled.
ReplyDeletePearl