I am in the beginning phase of planning a hike from Corpus Christi to South Padre Island along the Padre Island National Seashore. This is about a 111 mile stretch along the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. It boost as "the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world".



Are there any other Texans (actually anyone) interested in joining up for this little adventure?

Thanks,
Rod

Edited by Rod_G on 02/05/2008 13:39:02 MST.

Hi,

How many days do you plan to take and what is your plan for drinking water?

Bill,
Thanks for the reply. I am looking to get in at least 25 miles in a day. However, potentially there could be some great opportunities for traveling at night under the moon. So I think it could be done in 4-5 days at the most.

Drinking water is another serious issue I have not addressed as yet. There would be no resupply, so supply would need to be carried or saltwater boiled along the route.

Additional Notes:

I do have transportation lined up to Corpus from San Antonio and transportation from South Padre back to San Antonio.

There is a 500ft man-made canal at Port Mansfield. We would need to talk with local fisherman in advance for a ride over.



Helpful links:
http://www.nps.gov/pais/
http://www.wildtexas.com/parks/padre.php
http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/393/414/246.html

Edited by Rod_G on 02/05/2008 10:45:19 MST.

Rod,
When are you planning on doing this?

You could probably set up "Solar Still" though the process can be slow. It may work faster on the coast with the high humidity.

This is interesting:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|135|320549|296547&id=763931

From http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/paddling/expert/exp020701.htm

"There is another way to make fresh water from salt, and that's to distill your own. I've made very efficient stills using a pot with a lid that can be clamped down (an old pressure cooker works fine), plus several feet of 1/4" copper tubing. Make sure there is a fitting in the lid of the pot to attach the tubing. Bring the pot of water to a boil and run the tubing in a series of loops to another pot. This will result in a slow, but steady drip of fresh water into the empty pot. You can increase the efficiency of the system by running the tubing through another container of water (or a tidal pool), which will help cool and condense the steam. The distilling method is slow, but the advantage is you can be doing other things while it's working. It is also fiendishly wasteful of fuel, so it's not worth considering unless you're in an area with plentiful natural fuel."

Chris,

Thanks for the interest. Initially, I was thinking after March/April and the big Spring Break crowd that will be infesting the island. However, during the summer months heat, humidity, and sun exposure would be an issue.

So, I have no date set in stone as yet. Just sometime in 2008. If there are others interested, my schedule is completely flexible.

Thanks for the links, very interesting, I will take a look through them closer.

I would love to take that trip. I went to a turtle release there last week. I have been thinking about the issues of water, sun, etc. Especially water.

In summer, I think the hiking would be at night. (Oddly this would allow for bare feet, no sunscreen, etc.) Days would be spent under a tarp and a wet sheet.

I am drawn toward the solar still solution because it collects during the day. And digging before dawn should be doable.

After a bit of reading, I can't come to a conclusion on the practicality of a solar still. Accounts of 1 liter per day are unacceptable, but who knows what size hole and tarp? This digging could get old after the first night. Some commercial varieties exist for use on life rafts. These are expensive ($400) and even though inflatable the weight and bulk are too great. Even then the capacity is 1.5 liters/day. Well short of the 4 liters I would like.

I have been trying to wrap my head around a lighter MYOG solar still solution using external support, like CF poles. Any thoughts?

Except for the water issue.

There is always this, Katadyn Survivor 06 Water Desalinator, but $$$

The only other thought I had was to pull a wagon or cart on wheels. 1 gallon of water per person per day over 5 days is about 42LBS.