We Were Almost Bones…

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

I know a number of you are familiar with the Waterpocket Fold and the area described in our trip report. We are very experienced desert hikers with many miles both on and off trail in southeastern and central Utah, and over 2000 miles off trail in the Grand Canyon. Despite all our knowledge and experience managing to water in the desert, we still got in trouble. Take a look if you are interested.

We Were Almost Bones in Bowns - Thru We Go

In March 2021, the writer embarked on a challenging adventure in a remote area of the Water Pocket Fold in Utah. With a detailed plan to find water in canyons rarely visited, the trip took an unexpected turn. Facing a water crisis, their survival was uncertain until they stumbled upon a...

thru.live

 

[canadug]

Wow! Great report.......Those stone tree stumps on day 2 of your trip are super cool.
I have experienced that scary search for water in the desert.....Relieved you found some water.

 

[Janice]

What an experience - thank goodness you noticed that "shimmer" and were able to get water there. Makes me wonder how many stories there might have been over the years from people who didn't find water...

 

[fossana]

Excellent TR, and glad you were able to pull through without a call to SAR. What a reward with the desert big horn sighting. I have yet to come across them in Glen Canyon.

 

[TrailScot]

What an adventure ! ... my mouth was definitely feeling dry, as you recounted passing dry pothole after dry pothole ...

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

Wow! Great report.......Those stone tree stumps on day 2 of your trip are super cool.
I have experienced that scary search for water in the desert.....Relieved you found some water

Yes, the Navajo Sandstone has such great features. Those “stumps” were cool to find.

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

What an experience - thank goodness you noticed that "shimmer" and were able to get water there. Makes me wonder how many stories there might have been over the years from people who didn't find water...

Yeah, I wondered that too. There is certainly a lot of evidence of use throughout the years, even in the dry open section of the Waterpocket Fold.

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

Excellent TR, and glad you were able to pull through without a call to SAR. What a reward with the desert big horn sighting. I have yet to come across them in Glen Canyon.

The SAR question was a dilemma for me. I was glad to pull through without calling them but wondered about when is the time to call. If we hadn’t found water at the shimmer, maybe? The bighorn sighting was very special.

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

What an adventure ! ... my mouth was definitely feeling dry, as you recounted passing dry pothole after dry pothole ...

Yeah, that was a scary feeling I won’t forget…

 

[RyanP]

Thanks for sharing! This is a sobering reminder to me to be careful about water sources in the desert (especially given that next week I'm planning on taking my son on his first "we'll hope there's water in this pothole like there was a few years ago" trip)

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

Thanks for sharing! This is a sobering reminder to me to be careful about water sources in the desert (especially given that next week I'm planning on taking my son on his first "we'll hope there's water in this pothole like there was a few years ago" trip)

Yes, a good reminder is what we all need sometimes

 

[regehr]

thanks for posting!

now I'm thinking back at various backpacks and trying to figure out if I always followed Steve Allen's rule "always carry enough water to get back to a known source" and I feel like most of the time I've done this? hard to say for sure. I did have a bad moment a few Octobers ago when we got to Boulder Creek and it was bone dry, I'd have sworn this had perennial flow

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

thanks for posting!

now I'm thinking back at various backpacks and trying to figure out if I always followed Steve Allen's rule "always carry enough water to get back to a known source" and I feel like most of the time I've done this? hard to say for sure. I did have a bad moment a few Octobers ago when we got to Boulder Creek and it was bone dry, I'd have sworn this had perennial flow

Good point. I appreciate your insight. We usually follow Steve Allen’s rule of carrying enough water to get back to a known source. When we don’t, it is because we are confident about the water source we are going to. In this case, we were too confident in the water source ahead. We had been to those potholes 2 years earlier in March (same time of year) and there was an abundance of water. We mistakenly made the assumption that being in March after winter moisture, and having seen abundant water there before was enough to be confident about the water source. That was where we could have made a better decision and carried more water.

 

[marcmeister26]

Great report - thanks for sharing. This was a good reminder for me about how variable desert water sources can be - I wouldn't expect a swimming pool size pothole to completely dry out.

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

Great report - thanks for sharing. This was a good reminder for me about how variable desert water sources can be - I wouldn't expect a swimming pool size pothole to completely dry out.

We may have gotten too confident in our own abilities based on how often we have hiked in the desert. I am glad it was a good reminder to you and hope it helps others.

 

[CodyL]

Thanks for the reminder. A major component of my scary situations over the years was my over confidence. That's a great point!