Water Week.

This week I'll be blogging about Water, one of the four ancient elements.  Air is very important while hiking, though there's not much to say about it.  Fire is forbidden in the back country, visions of Yellowstone going up in flames is enough to make any ranger cry.  Earth, well that's important too, but other than walking on it, it's just kind of dirt. 

Water, on the other hand, is something special.  Hikers have to plan water stops.  Without water, a hiker cannot last long.  Water's heavy and it's vital.  So during hiking, you have to plan to take water. 

An average hiker will require between 3 and 4 quarts of water in a day.  Of course, that varies depending on temperature, the exertion level, and a number of other factors.  Needless to say, good trail guides will denote where a water stop is.  And usually when they talk about water stops, they aren't talking about a faucet in the middle of nowhere.  It's a source of water.  What you do with it is, well, that's the trick.