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[pct-l] Water Caches?????????



Since I started this thread with a question about how water caches fit into 
a hike, I thought I would chime in here with these thoughts:

Every good thing we do has a dark side. Our public assistance programs 
encourage sloth in some.  The mission to the homeless enables some to 
continue a self -destructive lifestyle.  The shelter for street kids allows 
some kids to defy good parents and run away.  We build a trail through the 
"wilderness" and immediately discover the wildness has been diminished by 
the very trail we built.

The only answer is to love one another unconditionally, set as good an 
example as we can ourselves and pray others will learn from us and we will 
be forgiven our occasional lapses.  Although a recycled plastic milk jug in 
the desert might not be as aesthically pleasing as a blooming prickly pear 
(or an Oilcan on ice), I think the sight of a water cache will always warm 
my heart.  Someone I've never seen cared enough about me to haul heavy loads 
of water into the hot, dry desert because I might be weak and silly enough 
to need it. Personally, I'll walk on with a lighter heart thinking about 
that.

Wayne Kraft


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl Siechert" <carlito@gmail.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 11:27 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Water Caches?????????


> and I could very well be wrong, the ADZ committee has donated hundreds

True.

> of dollars to trail angels for the purpose of caching. Kinda takes the 
> angel
> out of the process doesn't it?

Not at all. Guys like Sam Merten (Lucky 5 and now Scissors Crossing)
and Charlie Jones spend countless hours driving around the desert
(several times a week during peak season) and schlepping hundreds of
pounds of water in and a few pounds of bottles out. Again, you might
argue that their work is misguided, but there's no doubt about their
kindness, devotion, and herculean efforts; these folks are true trail
angels.


> Justify it however you need to, but dozens of plastic jugs do not belong
> out in the desert. Given the location/frequency of permanent water sources

I don't like the appearance of the jugs either. And the original noble
intent of the emergency water cache has been distorted to the point
where it's no longer "trail magic," but almost an expectation. But the
caches seem to be greatly appreciated by most thru hikers, and the
water cachers I know love doing what they do. Besides, with or without
the caches, PCT hikers aren't exactly finding the same desert
wilderness that DeAnza and other explorers traversed. Most of the
water enroute is not from natural sources, but from manmade sources
like cattle troughs, cisterns, campground faucets, etc. The water
caches are just one more (relatively minor) manmade encroachment.
Although I personally think we could get along without them, I don't
mind supporting the majority of hikers and cachers in maintaining the
caches if that's what they want. (And yes, I realize how shaky my
argument is on this point. I wouldn't support the majority if they
wanted to bike the trail or build condos on it.)

HYOH,
Carl
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