DAE think the PCT water report is overhyped until you actually hit a dry stretch?

I planned a 50 mile section in Southern California last month thinking I could wing it with just a few caches I marked myself. Got to a spot where every listed water source was bone dry and had to hike 8 extra miles to a campground pump. Am I the only one who underestimated how crucial those crowd sourced reports really are?

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beth_hunt6d ago

That dry stretch scares me just thinking about it... I did a hike in the Gila last year where the guide said water every 4 miles, but half the creeks were just mud holes. Had to ration my last liter for 12 miles, kept thinking about that one spring I passed that had a dead raccoon in it. Crowdsourced reports saved me on that one, now I check three different sources before I leave the car.