Chasing Curiosity

When bikepacking, water is a delicate balance. You go through a lot of it. 4-7 liters a day, at least, depending on the conditions. But it’s also heavy. Carrying too much can be a lug and slow things down. Not carrying enough can have dire consequences. When biking in the back country it’s constantly on my mind. I’m always looking at the map, looking ahead, spotting water sources ahead of me. It’s easy when you have a creek beside you all day. Constant refills, cool dips when needed, an occasional creek crossing to keep things interesting.

Sometimes filtering water is picturesque – morning sunshine, birds chirping, deer walking lazily by. Or shady and pristine alpine streams. Other times – it can be a bush wack down a steep hillside, through thickets, swatting bugs and stepping in mud to reach a creek that has cows and beaver ponds up stream. But water is water and sometimes you have to take what you can get.

On day 3 I was following a creek most of the day and had filtered/refilled a couple of times, keeping my water load light. I unwisely took for granted that I would have it beside me all day. When it came time to make camp in the evening, I was nearly out. The stream I had planned on for my evening refill only had cattails, but no water. The sun was setting and I hadn’t planned on putting more miles in. Strangely, for as far out I was, I heard voices nearby. Not being above begging for water, I followed the voices and rather suddenly found myself in the middle of a group of men, all with large guns, looking at me. I might as well have been an alien that just landed in the middle of them, as different as we were from each other. Curiosity always takes over; Initially baffled at what the crazy I was doing out there and lots of questions later, they filled my water bottles and wished me well down the road. I had water for the night.