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While you can manage without food for a surprisingly long time, this is not so with water. On any hike, you need to know where water sources are and what the condition of the water is likely to be. Dehydration can kill you in a matter of days - and long before you are in real danger you'll cease to enjoy what you're doing, as your mind dulls and your perceptions numb. How much water do I need?- How much water you need per day varies from person to person and depends on the weather conditions, the amount of energy used, and the type of food you carry. Figure on at least 6-8 quarts per day for cooking and drinking. Drink regularly, whether you feel thirsty or not, to avoid becoming even slightly dehydrated.
- Estimating needs for camp is easier: With the dried foods I eat, I can get by with 2 quarts per night, but I prefer to have 4 or more - and that is just for cooking
 and drinking, not for washing utensils or myself. It also assumes I've had enough to drink during the day, and am either camping near water or expect to find a source fairly easily the next day. - When you have to carry water, these calculations become important, because water weighs >2 lbs. per quart. For "Dry" camps (ones away from water sources, often high up on mountain ridges or summits) you need enough water to get you to the next source, as well as for use in camp.
- Snow-covered country is odd; it is effectively a desert. Walking in snow can dehydrate you as quickly as desert walking, because the dry air sucks moisture out of your body. Eating snow cools the mouth, but provides little real relief. Melt enough snow in camp to keep you well supplied during the day.
Finding water sources.- Streams, rivers, lakes and ponds are obvious sources of water, easily identif
 ied on a map. In areas dotted with these features, you won't need to carry much or to worry about running out. - Check contour lines carefully, however, to see exactly where the water is. Often the high ridges that make for superb walking can be far above any water. In such places, it's better to carry full bottles than make long descents and re-ascents when you need a drink.
- Remember, too, that dotted blue lines on the map usually indicate seasonal water sources; the rushing stream in June, heavy with snowmelt, may have vanished completely by late September.
- If large water sources are scarce, it may be necessary to hunt out tiny trickles and seeps. To find these, look for areas of richer, denser vegetation, and for depressions and gullies in which water may gather or run. You generally do better to rely on maps and guidebooks for information on the whereabouts of water.
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© 1997 Ragged Mountain Press/McGraw-Hill. Adapted from The Backpacker's Handbook, by Chris Townsend.