Loading…
7
Am I the only one who plans water carries by map miles instead of trail miles?
I mapped a dry stretch on the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas at 9 miles and ran dry at 6 because I never counted the switchbacks climbing out of the valley. Now I add 20 percent to any map distance before I trust a spring or cache, and a ranger at the trailhead backed me up on that. How do you all figure water on routes with lots of vertical?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
kevin_wells4612d ago
Man, that switchback tax is real and I got burned the same way. I read a trip report from a guy on the Ozark Highlands Trail who said he just flat out doubles his water estimate on any climb over 1,000 feet, and that stuck with me. Last spring I did a loop with a big ridge pull and the map said the creek was 4 miles out, but it took me almost two hours and I was dry by the top. Now I break long climbs into chunks and mark a refill point at the base, the top, and anything in between. The 20 percent rule sounds about right, maybe even a little light when it's hot and the trail is rocky.
7