I remember running out of water when activating F/AM-035 with my friend Thierry, F4EGG in 2014.
There is a super-long approach to the col before tackling the summit. That approach is in a bowl that somehow seems to intensify the sun’s rays. I had taken 5L of water. It still was not enough. I ran out of water on the way back half-way through that scorching bowl. There was no water source, it was like a desert. The summit had some snow though, so if I had had a stove I could have replenished my supply earlier on. By the time I reached the car I had no more saliva in my mouth. My entire mouth, throat, lips all felt as if I had sucked on some super hot sand. I arrived at the car feeling completely drained. Thankfully there was a hut selling cold water at the parking lot. I went to buy some. When it was time to pay, the guy in front of me decided he would try to get a date with the gal running the cashier… By that time I could not take it anymore, I opened the water in the shop and drank it on the spot before paying for it.
So running out of water sucks. Every hike is different. In that case, a Sawyer Mini or similar wouldn’t have helped but a stove at the summit would have done the trick.
Lesson learnt!