One of the more daunting aspects of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is the long water carries in the desert. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) begins with ~700 miles through the desert in Southern California. Water is scarce. Sources may be over a day apart! Hikers must plan ahead and carry enough water to avoid dehydration in the desert heat.

As you may know, I’m planning to thru-hike the PCT starting this May! On my thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail and Colorado Trail, I rarely tracked how much I drank or worried about running out. This was fine on those trails where water sources were closer together. But in the California desert, I’ll need to be more strategic about my water.

Since I don’t have much desert experience, I wanted to practice a 20+ mile water carry in warm weather at least once beforehand to ensure I could handle it. Fortunately, I found the perfect opportunity to “simulate” some desert hiking on an abnormally hot spring weekend here in northern Colorado…

For my desert simulation, I headed to a nearby state park for an overnight backpacking trip. I borrowed a route used by a local 50-mile trail race in the park (side note: I’m totally in awe of the folks who run this whole route in just one day! Holy cow!). The 50-mile route was perfect for my practice hike because it’s a 2-loop course. My car provides a handy water source at the halfway point – creating two 25-mile water carries.

Though my state park is quite dry this time of year, I knew of several places where I could find additional water not far from my route in a pinch. This felt like a safe way to experiment with long water carries and play some desert make-believe!

The First Day

For my first 25-mile loop, I packed only 5 liters of water, following the 1 liter per 5-mile rule of thumb. As a thirstier-than-average human, I’ve always felt this guidance seemed questionable. But I decided to test it out. I started up the hill with a heavy backpack.

10 hours later, with a substantially light pack, I finished my first loop and reached my car. All my bottles were empty – I drank all 5 liters! Fortunately, when I ran out, I could already see the parking lot in the distance. But I think I’d have run out sooner if I hadn’t carefully rationed all day long. The first loop of my experiment confirmed what I already suspected – I’m a thirsty hiker! A liter every 5 miles doesn’t cut it for me.

So lesson learned. At the car, I filled every bottle and bladder in my pack before starting back up the hill towards my planned campsite for the night. In total, I had 7 liters – a whopping 15 pounds of water, on top of the weight of my gear and food! Thankfully, I only carried this outrageous load for a few miles to reach my campsite. I’d finish the rest of the second 25-mile loop tomorrow.

The Second Day

I felt more confident on the second day, knowing I’d probably over-packed on water. I drank to my heart’s content and didn’t worry. However, my route ended in a long treeless valley in 85-degree afternoon heat, which had me sweating buckets (and chugging water & electrolytes accordingly!). I finished loop 2 with only a few swigs of water left, but feeling nice and hydrated.

I think there is a fine line to be walked here. No one wants to carry something they won’t use. But hikers expose themselves to more risk by carrying the minimum water possible. Some extra water provides a safety net if a problem arises, like becoming lost, injured, or ill – or even just a water bladder leaking! While it was fun to experiment in the (relatively) controlled environment of my local park, I’d be wise to not cut it quite so close while on the PCT if I can avoid it. I’ll feel comfortable carrying a little more water than I think I’ll need, even when that means a few extra pounds on my back.

Lessons Learned

• I drink a ridiculous amount of water. Somehow, I drank nearly three and a half GALLONS of water in about 30 hours!
• But – I’m also strong enough to carry a ridiculous amount of water. I was worried about my ability to carry a pack with 15 pounds of water – especially since I’m recovering from a knee injury that had me starting 2025 on crutches! However, carrying the extra water wasn’t an issue. I just walked a little slower than usual when my containers were full up.
• I should do early morning and late evening hiking! I drank so much water in the middle of the day when the sun was most intense, especially on treeless stretches. I’ve read about desert hikers waking up early and then taking a mid-day siesta in the shade before continuing in the evening. I think I’m starting to understand why.