Day 4: Monument to Salt Creek

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June 14, 2004, continued

The distance we had to cover to Salt Creek was about 6km so we planned to walk in the late afternoon, starting at 4pm to reach our destination at around 6pm. The waters at Salt Creek have a high content of minerals and their consumption is discouraged. Considering this, we packed our full capacity of water, around 9 liters per person. The load was heavy in our backpacks but it proved to be a necessary operation, since upon our arrival at Salt Creek, there was no trace of water but just the salt stains on the walls of the Canyon. The water carried had to supply for the hike of the day, the cooking at night and in the morning and the hike on the next day, a total of about 7-8 liters per person. That was, assuming that after two days, we would find a reliable water supply. As it had happened previously with the exception of Hermit Creek, destination point of short there-and-back hikes, we were the only human beings around the campsite area. Since the next day was a tough 12km hike to Indian Gardens with the possibility of not finding any water in our path, and the pubs were closed, we decided to go early to "bed" and get up at 6am.