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To anyone who's just gone up the main trail - are there good spots around 1/2 way to 3/4 of the way to replenish water supplies? I'm looking for a good flow that will stay reliable the next week or so. Any advice?
z
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I hate to be flip but look at your map. It will tell you everything you need to know.
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i was up there last week with friends, and there was an abundance of water in all the usual places. i was told the water was unusually plentiful this year, due to a large snowpack last season.
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Not taken as flip - I live farther south and almost all streams here are very seasonal; by September the ones still flowing are few and far between. If I can pretty much count on the streams on the map having water, that's what I was hoping for.
z
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Hey Zip: Tons of water up there a couple of weeks ago. You definitely won't need to worry about refilling your water bottles up to Trail Camp. Even the lower switchbacks above Trail Camp have a fairly strong water flow in them right now. The only waterless section of the trail is from the middle of the switchbacks to the peak and back. There's an 8 mile or so section there that does not have water. So, fill up just above Trail camp and you should be fine.
Good luck!
RV
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i was up on the main trail on aug. 30th & there was lots of water, no worrys.
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Zip,
The reason for the comment is many come here clueless about too many things. It is amazing how much you learn about the MMWT by just spending 15 minutes looking at a couple of maps.
Yes, there are many seasonal streams and springs here in SoCal, which make backpacking a chore a good portion of the year. However, the Sierra, and this area in particular, is loaded with water the year round.
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I'm a newbie so forgive the basic question....assuming I refill at Trail Camp, how much water as a minimum do you recommend I carry up to the summit and back to Trail Camp?
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dr kenny - I tend to overhydrate after a bad experience that I had with dehydration. If I were dayhiking from Portal, I would be using my 3L camelbak, and would fill up at Trail Camp or the base of the switchbacks. I'd rather have some left over than come down thirsty.
A month ago I did it from the west, carrying a full pack from Guitar Lake to the trail junction, then a fanny pack to summit, and down to Outpost Camp. I started the day with 4L water, and ran out above Outpost Camp. I was pretty thirsty when I got to Outpost.
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dr kenny,
It depends on the ambient temperature. I would take either 3 or 4 L for the Trail Camp round trip. I've consumed 7 quarts of water on a realtively cool day doing the 22 mile round trip. The last thing you want to do is to dehydrate up high.
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lambertiana and wbtravis5152-
Thanx for your experience. Going 9/22 so likely it will be cool; will fill my 3L camelback plus a another liter just to be sure.
Dr. Kenny
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If you have a filter pump, given the current water flow, you shouldn't have to carry more than 2L at any point in time. It makes no sense to carry unecessary extra weight. Fill up on way up switchbacks and you should have plenty to get to summit and back (unless your sleeping in top!)
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dr.k - if you carry that extra liter up to trail crest, you can stash it there and you won't have to carry it to the peak, but it will be waiting for you on the way back just in case you need it. People do that with their packs all the time. If you get back to it and don't need it, you can always pour it out, again avoiding lugging along extra weight.
z
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zip-
Thanx...something to think about. Do people ever leave extra provisions (water, food, etc) at the summit hut for others to use if needed? Did this at the top of San Jacinto last week.
Dr.Kenny
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Food would be problematic - other critters besides humans are very enthusiastic about such supplies becoming available. Water - I couldn't say about Whitney, but I have water cached all over San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, San Bernardino . . . I keep several caches on the Cactus to Clouds trail, and they've never been bothered. They're off the trail a little way, so people don't see them, but animals seem to leave them alone since they have no odor of food.
z
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