But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work on water,
An’ you’ll lick the bloomin’ boots of ’im that’s got it. -- Rudyard Kipling, from Gunga Din
Not been doing much in the way of slaughter but when it comes to water I know exactly what Kipling means. Doesn't take too long wandering around in the desert to develop a newfound appreciation for water.
Working on my Red River Gorge project, I've been spending a lot of time out hiking. Along the way I've discovered that the amount of territory I can cover is chiefly limited by the amount of water I can carry. Normally I carry a liter of water with me (it's the biggest water bottle I can still fit in the pouch on my camera bag) and that'll let me cover five miles or so as long as I don't mind staggering back into camp dehydrated.
That'd almost be okay except that's been during springtime and we're about to plunge into summer. 100% humidity and heat indexes north of 100 degrees (F) are common features of summer here and that just makes water disappear. Or gives you heatstroke.
Out west I was able to cover twice the distance on that amount of water but the humidity makes one hell of a difference. Anyways, the whole reason I'm writing this is to ask those of y'all who spend time out in the backcountry how do you haul water and how much do you bring?
If I could stick a hydration bladder in my camera bag it'd go a long way to solving my problem but my current bag isn't compatible. Did discover that such tricks do exist but unless HIVE moons in the next few days I'm not going to be able to drop $300 for one in time for when I'll need it.
Guess that leaves improvising. The mountain laurel will in full bloom soon so I'm going back to the gorge next week. The forecast is calling for 80s all week, gonna need to come up with something in a hurry.
These photos are all from Canyonlands and Arches National Parks in the desert of southeastern Utah. I was there at the beginning of October when the daytimes temps were only in the 80s. Wouldn't have been able to do half of what I did if it'd been any hotter.
That neck of the woods reminds me a lot of Red River Gorge, except hotter and dryer and with the consequent lack of trees. Still can't decide whether I like the unobstructed views or the vegetation better.
The humidity in the gorge offsets the lower temperatures, there's more shade but it doesn't cool you nearly as well as in the desert. A natural sort of yin and yang, they're both equally brutal on your water supply.
With El Niño expected to bring us even hotter temperatures for a while, I'm guessing the gorge won't be the only place I'll be needing extra water.
