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 Clean Water
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127
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OP
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127 |
Regarding base weight. One thing I always carry is my MSR filter, and associated plastic bottle. the MSR weighs a pound.
Obviously I would like to cut more weight out
I am averse to various treatments , although aqua mira is probably the most paletable.
I have read reports that the water from clear running rivers in the high sierras is very very clean and indeed articles and published papers of scientific study relating most cases of Giardia to bad hygine rather than the water source.
I have met people who say that they regularly drink water straight from the source, including a regular to olympic who was oh his way to snow dome.
So just how risky is drinking water straight from the rivers , especially early in the season. The water in the Merced up around little Yosemite valley seems pretty clean, especially in may
Any experience of drinking the water from the source.
Boiling is more onerous that carrying a filter
Sarah C
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 45
deceased
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deceased
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 45 |
Sara,
I've drunk the Sierra waters for more than 50 years--straight out of the streams. In fact, my first drink in a Sierra river was the Merced River. I have never had a bad reaction, except two times I drunk out of non-Sierra waters and paid dearly for my stupidity, as my drinking spots were bad and I should have known better. Obviously, drink smart. If you see soap suds on the water, don't drink it. If you see, for example, campers washing pots in the pond at Trail Camp, don't drink it. (In fact, it is best to drink the water at the pond's inlet, rather than below.)
Bob Rockwell is our Whitney water expert, and he has posted many times on Whitney's highest water quality.
Do what you are comfortable with. It's your health and well-being, but I think most of us old timers on Whitney drink the water straight.
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
I do the same as Wayne -- dip and drink. However, water treatment is a personal matter, and many will never drink without treating. That is certainly their option. All the cases I have seen or read regarding intestinal trouble with hikers has been due mainly to tainted food, caused by improper storage. Things like summer sausage not refrigerated, allowed to warm in a backpack, etc. I recall coming upon a PCT hiker along the trail, dehydrated and nearly incapacitated due to his food poisoning. Here are links from the " Links to important Whitney information" thread in the Reference forum: Water discussions (Drink untreated, or filter/treat/boil/etc.) Water and Giardia around Mt. Whitney 60,000 Liters of Water Consumed -- Untreated Filter question (links to studies, etc.) I used to filter the water, but reading the studies and the lack of finding anything that could possibly infect a person convinced me I do not need to treat the water. Recent studies by a doctor (Robert Derlet) from UC Davis who has sampled water from lakes and streams throughout the Sierra have shown that the only places where the water is contaminated is caused by runoff from cattle grazing areas or stock corral operations. He also found that lake water is more pure than the streams, possibly due to UV from sunlight sterilizing the water in the lakes.
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,253
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,253 |
I've been drinking from Sierra streams for about the last five years after reading an article about water purity in the Los Angeles Times. However, with the human waste problem along the MMWT, I use a Steripen in this area during the quota season...knowing full well the water quality has not been diminished by this problem.
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127
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OP
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127 |
I do the same as Wayne -- dip and drink. However, water treatment is a personal matter, and many will never drink without treating. That is certainly their option. All the cases I have seen or read regarding intestinal trouble with hikers has been due mainly to tainted food, caused by improper storage. Things like summer sausage not refrigerated, allowed to warm in a backpack, etc. I recall coming upon a PCT hiker along the trail, dehydrated and nearly incapacitated due to his food poisoning. Here are links from the " Links to important Whitney information" thread in the Reference forum: Water discussions (Drink untreated, or filter/treat/boil/etc.) Water and Giardia around Mt. Whitney 60,000 Liters of Water Consumed -- Untreated Filter question (links to studies, etc.) I used to filter the water, but reading the studies and the lack of finding anything that could possibly infect a person convinced me I do not need to treat the water. Recent studies by a doctor (Robert Derlet) from UC Davis who has sampled water from lakes and streams throughout the Sierra have shown that the only places where the water is contaminated is caused by runoff from cattle grazing areas or stock corral operations. He also found that lake water is more pure than the streams, possibly due to UV from sunlight sterilizing the water in the lakes. yes ive seen the reports, Actually I recently did a degree in conservation and ecology and read scientific papers about giardia etc, and came to the conclusion, along with reports from other old hikers, led me to think, hey if im sensible I can drop 16 ounces from my pack, and dip and drink.
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127
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OP
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127 |
Oh yes I am well aware of the sterilising affects of UV . I used to work at Calverton Fish Farm Nottingham EA (google it) the manager there was one of the smartest guys I ever met, he said UV was the best steriliser ever, we always hung nets out in the sun, and even had UV sterilisers in line with our filters (big ones mind)
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 215
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 215 |
Filtering gets the swimming things that you can see with your naked eyebones out of the water.
Mike
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 659
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 659 |
Steripen is 4 ounces. Gotta practice with it at home. Works like a dream, once you get the hang of it, which is pretty quickly. I am bringing mine to Kili in a few months, where the need for purification is 100% compelling.
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Re: Clean Water
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127
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OP
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 127 |
Filtering gets the swimming things that you can see with your naked eyebones out of the water. Im not too worried about injesting swimming things as long as I dont get anything Nasty. I am going to be leaveing the MSR at homw next time and drinking straight from the source. Having been In Olympic Im used to drinking odd water, a lot of it there is brown with tannins, makes great tea though Im looking at reducing the base weight, its pretty low now, around 20Lbs. I did however just invest in a Marmot sawtooth at about 3lbs, I need to be warm, ive ditched my lightweight bag, tent is less than 2Lbs
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