It's All About the Water

Anothercold morning.  I sense a theme here.  We saw a large herd of deer right off the bat this morning.  We finally had consistently good trail and it climbed high to a ridge with our first open views in awhile.  

So I had to let rip a yell.  Pounce heard an echo.  Cool.  Then the search for water that defined these two days began.  First was following a dry creek .3 miles off trail to a spring which had two tiny silty puddles.  That was a challenge.  Next water was a disgusting cow poo muddy "pond" with swimmy things.  

We took a liter as emergency water hoping we wouldn't have to drink it.  And then... well water!  And our hiking friends we've been leap frogging were having lunch under a shady tree.  We tanked up there but the next source was dry.  The one after that was unfilterable.  We rationed. Consequently we had to push to get to the next spring.  It was dry and the sun was setting.  So no cooked dinner or hot drink in the morning.  We ate our lunch and snacks instead.  It was a 25 mile day.  We are on the Pie Town alternate which is all forest service roads.

Next morning, all we could think of was water and we made the last of our water stretch.  First water, nothing.  Second water, 8 miles later, water at last.  We cooked our dinner food.  Finally at the next stop delicious well water.  While filling our bottles there, all of them, a rancher stopped to chat.  He has a "few" cows.  He looked like a stereotypical rancher with white hair an a large cowboy hat.  Then we were on our way again and feeling good. We camped 6 miles from Pie Town, well watered, well fed, and happy.  We are looking forward to town food, showers, and laundry.