Try this experiment at home. Place a sponge on a couple of glasses. Place an ice cube on the sponge. Keep replacing the ice cubes. A sponge can only hold so much water. Water will eventually fall into the glasses or onto the countertop. Kids, don't do this on the floor.
Think of any mountain as a big, saturated sponge. As the snow melts (or rain falls), the water is absorbed into the rock. The water then collects in cavities/chambers in the rock. When these chambers fill up, the water has to go somewhere. It seeks the path of least resistance.
The water at the spring in Outpost Camp is the same water flowing down from SB23 and other snowmelt. If you notice the outlet at the OC spring, it is rich in minerals which the looks like rust due to the dissolved minerals.
The water you may be collecting at SB23 could be from snowmelt years and years ago. You could be standing next to (possibly beneath) a hidden reservoir larger than Crowley Lake or even Lake Tahoe. Just hope the "dam" doesn't break.
The chances of SB23 ever running dry is highly unlikely since that water could come from anywhere in the Sierra. Yes, it will freeze, but it will not run dry.
While at SB23 you can say that you are standing at the "headwaters" of Lone Pine Creek that flows down Whitney Portal Falls.
Now, do not rely on SB23 as a water source this time of year. The sun is low in the horizon meaning less direct sunlight.
