Treating water on the pct

imported
#1

I have thru hiked the AT several times and never treated or filtered my water.Is it necessary to treat or filter on the pct???

nopain

#2

This topic has been debated for years. Initially, most folks subscribed to the “Treat it all” school, but lately some thoughtful articles have appeared saying no - that in the Sierra, anyway, the backcountry streams are not contaminated. These articles attribute most digestive problems to faulty personal hygiene, not giardia.

Personally, over the years I have move away from treatment (I use tablets) to last year where I treated virtually nothing during 10 days in the Upper Kern except at crowded Anvil Camp near Shepherd Pass.

Booger