I was super busy this weekend prepping my equestrian rest stop and water cache for the rush of thru hikers who are amassing at the border. As of this writing, March 27 is the date when the PCTA has maxed out on their 50-permits-a-day limit leaving from the Mexican border. The 50-hikers-d-day limit runs through mid-May. (See their Permit Request Page and click “Check Mexican Border Availability.”) I’m already seeing several thru hikers a day trickle by. We’ll see whether the cancellation of Kick-Off has prevented hikers from bunching up too much.

With just another week until the trickle becomes a flood, I needed everything in place. My thru hiker additions are two large garbage cans (one for recycling, one for trash), a cooler stocked with cold sodas and fresh fruit, and a hiker box with some sugary foods, repair supplies, and a first aid kit.

While I was at it, I set up the water tank to irrigate future shade for the coming summer dry spell.

Next weekend, I’ll up the number of fresh gallons stocked to 32. With the much larger seasonal cache just 2 miles to the south, these 32 gallons will add a bit of a safety factor to hikers that are not carrying enough water out of Tule Springs.