The Water Bottle Paradox

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This weekend when I hiked to Valangin I thought that I would found a water fountain along the way, so I took just 600ml of water. A few weeks ago when I went to Charmey I took the same amount of water because I didn’t want too much weight for the Via Ferrata. The result is that I have run out of water twice recently.

The paradox is that this isn’t because I lack water bottles. I have a collection of them. I have 1l bottles, 500ml water bottles, 600, 850, and more. I have one 1L water camelbak and one 2L camelbak. I could easily use them in rotation.

When I ran out of water on Charmey I ran out very close to the end. I believe that part of the reason for which I ran out is that activities sometimes take longer than I expected. With Charmey we sometimes had to wait for people to do certain segments. The result is that the quantity of water I expected to use was too low. Luckily someone was able to give me a little water.

Charmey

With Charmey I wasn’t at risk of dehydration. I didn’t feel desperately thirsty and I would have been fine without someone’s generosity. I accepted the water as a safety precaution. I would have been fine, but to be responsible I had to accept the "gift".

Valangin

With Valangin the situation was different. When I do a 12-14km walk by myself it would take about three hours as I can walk up to 6km an hour, but that’s not the key reason I ran out of water. I ran out of water because I expected to find fountains along the way, whether streams, village fountains or other. I ran out of water in Valangin, and there were two fountains but neither of them were safe to drink.

I should have refilled my water bottle in the castle but I was back outside when I remembered. I also expected that when we walked through the village we might find one that was safe.

1 Litre Backup

I have two Sigg 1L aluminium bottles and one nalgene water bottle. All three of these could be used to refill my primary water bottle along the way. That’s what I have done when walking down L’Areuse and the Orbe. With a spare litre in the backpack we can easily have enough water, and have some spare to share. If I had taken one litre on both days, rather than 600ml I would have been fine

More Serious

I went for bike rides during real heat waves where the temperature got up to 37°c and if I ran out of water on those days it was serious. I had sometimes expected that I could refill at water fountains, but due to the drought they were off. The result is that in at least one case I think I used the public bathroom taps by the Broken Chair/Place des Nations to refill on water.

If you don’t have a bike lock and you’re cycling alone, and you don’t find a public bathroom you can try a restaurant or failing that go to a train station where you can get vending machine water. It’s expensive but it is a reliable backup solution.

And Finally

When I did the Via Ferrata in Charmey I wanted to save on weight. I could easily have taken a slightly bigger water bottle with me. With Valangin I didn’t expect it to be so hot, and I expected to find more drinking fountains. I assumed water would be easier to find. it’s better to walk with a spare litre, and not use it, than run out.

I finally did refill my water, in Neuchatel, once the walk was finished so I would have drunk one and a half litres if I had carried it.