Filter your water or not?

[maverick]

GD thanks for the horse info, even more reason to be wary of routes where stock
travels!

[rlown]

Thought i'd post this cross ref to Hetchy's PCT adventure. I've been following his postholer log, and he appears to be making great time against plan, despite his bout with Giardia. http://postholer.com/journal/viewJourna ... ent_id=414

I think he's carrying a filter and clorox, but he'll have to tell us more when he finishes/reports.

[gregw822]

I've been a high Sierra backpacker for many years. I've never filtered my my water. I don't even carry a filter. I've never met anyone who picked up giardia in the Sierra. In fact, I've never known anyone who knows anyone else who has suffered from drinking the water in the Sierra. Rangers will tell you to filter the water, but I think that's just Forest Service policy to eliminate liability.

[ERIC]

Here is a link to a previous discussion on the subject:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1968&p=12599&hilit=giardia#12599

Here is another link with a lot of info:
http://www.yosemite.org/naturenotes/Giardia.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And another:
http://www.highsierrahikers.org/Derlet-" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... n-2006.pdf

Other previous discussions:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=113" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3092" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://sierrapacktrip.proboards.com/ind ... thread=483" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rlown]

ok.. i was just crossposting Hetchy's experience. nothing more. If you don't filter, i'm not judging. Personally, i filter all my drinking water. For cooking uses, it's boiled. thanks for the backpost references though, Eric.

[ERIC]

ok.. i was just crossposting Hetchy's experience. nothing more.

Ya..I know.

thanks for the backpost references though, Eric.

You're welcome.

[rrivera]

how timely I just had someone ask me about this today...it depends for me...I've been lucky no unfortunate situations to date probably thx to Purell more than anything but if I am going to be in a heavily trafficed area like some areas in Yosemite or Emigrant I pump...otherwise I don't worry about it.

[AlmostThere]

I've talked to a lot of folks (also posted on a lot of forums) and always filter.

The sort of trouble you get from not washing hands is very distinguishable from crypto or giardia. People who get sick are lazy hand washers, most of the time. The authenticated diagnosed cases of giardia I've heard about were treated (sometimes for weeks, not happy people) and the one case of crypto I've heard of was worse than giardia.... You "I've been drinkin' it straight for 40 years" folks can brag forever, but you know, Murphy's Law dogs me everywhere. I'm the hiker who loses gear, trips, drops stuff, etc. If there's road work I'll get stuck in it, if the ranger's pulling people over, he gets me. Not gotten lost yet (knock wood) and not gotten anything but transient tummy upsets.... But pushing my luck anywhere without a filter? Not on your sweet mother-lovin' life. Especially not in Yosemite where people are doing nasty @#%# in the rivers and streams. Not going to be a "I've been drinking it without filtering for 50 years UNTIL I GOT SICK" type of person.

[gg-man]

Went four years with no filtering or problems from drinking water directly from streams UNTIL an October trip south out of Sonora Pass. I followed the PCT down to Tilden Lake and then cross country out to 140 east of Sonora. Two weeks later Giardia hit. Still will not filter due to lack of any data proving it makes any difference. Now, however I know what the symptons are and I have meds ready to roll should it happen again.

[rlown]

Went four years with no filtering or problems from drinking water directly from streams UNTIL an October trip south out of Sonora Pass. I followed the PCT down to Tilden Lake and then cross country out to 140 east of Sonora. Two weeks later Giardia hit. Still will not filter due to lack of any data proving it makes any difference. Now, however I know what the symptons are and I have meds ready to roll should it happen again.

Um, you are the data. I've filtered forever (when they became available). Before that was Iodine tablets and boiling. I filter drinking water, and i boil cooking water.

I've never gotten it. Maybe, you can share your symptoms with others?

I trust my filter implicitly, and it doesn't weigh that much. And yes, washing is very important.