Old hiker on the PCT told me I was carrying too much water.

I was near Kennedy Meadows, about 4 years ago, and this guy in his 60s just came up and pointed at my 6 liter carry. He said I was hauling an extra 12 pounds for no reason and that most people overestimate how much they need between springs. We talked for 20 minutes while I repacked, and he showed me his 2 liter setup with a Sawyer squeeze. I still bring 3 liters now instead of 6, and it saves my legs big time on long climbs. Has anyone else had a total stranger give them route advice that actually worked out?

2 comments

2 Comments

clairer797d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, is it really that serious though?

jamienguyen6d ago

Yeah you gotta think about it though. Like yeah it seems overblown but that's exactly how things start small before they get bad. People said the same thing about data privacy a few years back and now look at it. Everyone's freaking out over targeted ads and their phones listening to them. If you wait until it's a big obvious problem then it's already too late to do anything about it.