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Started marking water sources on my map with a highlighter and it saved my butt in the Winds last month
I used to just trust the guidebook mileage and hope the creeks were flowing. Big mistake on a 4 day loop in the Wind River Range last month when two sources I counted on were totally dry. A guy at the trailhead in Pinedale saw me staring at my map and said he always highlights every water source before he leaves. So I tried it on day 2, broke out a yellow highlighter and marked every creek and lake along the route. Sounds dumb but it changed how I planned my miles. Instead of guessing, I knew exactly where I could refill and how far I had to carry weight. Ended up doing 11 mile stretches with a lighter pack because I stopped hauling 3 liters everywhere. Anyone else do something this simple that ended up mattering way more than the fancy gear?
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sean_green441mo ago
That highlighter trick is really just old school map reading working better than tech. I do the same thing with grocery lists and my truck maintenance log, writing it down by hand forces your brain to actually think about the gaps instead of skipping over them. On the trail those gaps are dry creeks and long carries, and seeing them in yellow makes the day plan obvious before you're standing there thirsty. The fancy stuff gets the attention but the boring habits are what keep you out of trouble.
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