Water Caches - Arizona Trail

imported
#1

I am the segment steward for Passage 15A and was distressed to find that those who had cached water at the Freeman Road Trailhead had created an unsightly mess of empty and decaying plastic jugs. I cleaned it all up yesterday and am requesting that those who cache water there or anywhere on the AZT either take their cached water containers with them when they hike through or return to pick them them up after their hike. It also wouldn’t hurt to take away any empties when you drop yours off. I am very proud of the segment that my volunteers and I work hard to maintain and this kind of mess leaves a bad image of the Arizona Trail and its users.

Anna

#2

I am sorry for the mess left at Freeman Rd for you to clean up, this I promise if I leave a cache anywhere on any
trail I will carry out my jug. Is Freeman Rd drivable by a two week drive car? Thanks Mother Goose

Mother Goose

#3

Thank you for your reply. And yes, Freeman Road is a good dirt road that is almost always drvable with a two-wheel drive vehicle (unless it rains, then the road can become a sloppy mess).

Anna

#4

Hi Anna - I just finished the trail and recently walked by that cache. Given how dry that stretch was I was very happy to see 1 gallon of water left, but the sight of water jugs littering the trail for 200’ was ridiculous. I spent 20 minutes gathering up what I could and put a pile of wood on top to hopefully hold it down. I was surprised that no one had returned since it was dropped off seemingly in March. Thanks for cleaning it all up.

Brian

#5

There are 8 gallons of water at Freeman Road.

If you empty a container, please take the plastic jug with you.

Fred G

#6

Howdy Fred - How current is this report?

On caching: Those caching solely for their own benefit should probably hide it, or at least mark it, and obviously would pack out their own containers afterward. A public cache, left by a trail angel, can be contained from the blowing winds with a length of guyline threaded through the jug handles. Most hikers won’t pack out empty bottles from public caches, as it’s much more take than give in the midst of a long hike.

blisterfree

#7

Yeah, I guess we (the hikers) assume that when there’s a large cache close to a road it will be stocked and cleaned up by the person who put it there, so we don’t carry the empty jugs out. If it’s a smaller occasional cache, the cachers usually leave a note telling us to carry the empties out.

Apple Pie

#8

Blisterfree, 8 gallons were there on Oct 28.

The guyline is a good idea which I’ve used at some caches and also, like Apple Pie mentioned, have carried empty jugs when there was a note.

Fred G