TIL I could get water from a cactus on the PCT

Was hiking the desert section near Idyllwild last month and ran low on water. Grabbed my knife and hacked into a barrel cactus just to see if it worked. Got maybe a cup of gritty liquid - is there a better way to do this without ruining the plant?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_morgan8112d ago

Oh buddy, you're braver than me. I tried the same thing near Anza-Borrego and ended up with about two tablespoons of liquid and a handful of cactus spines in my thumb. The gritty taste is basically just plant sadness. I've heard you're supposed to crush the inner pulp and squeeze it through a bandana, but honestly I'd rather just carry an extra liter of water next time and save the cactus the trouble.

ryan_stone12d ago

Yeah the pulp squeezing trick is hit or miss, I once tried that with a barrel cactus in the Mojave and ended up with more fiber than water, almost felt like I was chewing on a wet cardboard box. That gritty plant sadness you mentioned is exactly what I got too, just a weird dusty aftertaste that makes you wish you'd just brought a damn filter bottle instead.