This question is for those that know the PCT,what is the water situation like?Aside from the desert that is.Do you consider the water sources in alpine areas safe,or would you always filter it?would you carry iodine or use a filter or both?In the past ive always drank freely from fast,rocky creeks away from cows and people with no problem.But I know this isnt the wisest practice for a long hike.And last question how much water were you using a day?Any views would be appreciated.thanks
wondering
Treating water is a personal choice. I always filter. EVERYTHING. I figure, I’m carrying a filter so if I get a water-borne illness because I chose not to treat my water, I’m pretty stupid. Afterall, that filter was in my pack! I would hate for my hike to end because of that.
That said, there are many people who do not treat their water. There are also many people who get sick. The people who advocate NOT treating water claim that people get sick because of not cleaning their hands properly after doing #2 or from sharing food with others. NOT because of drinking untreated water. Who really knows why people get sick.
There is something you can get from drinking snowmelt from the pink snow. I don’t know what this is. But up high in the sierras, a lot of the snow is pink. I think it’s some kind of algae. I had friends who didn’t treat their water and spent 5 days spewing it out of both ends at Vermillion Valley Resort. The doctor they went to said it was the pink snow. They were drinking water at high elevations without treating it. So, giardia is not your only worry.
I carry a PUR (it’s now the Katadyn) Hiker filter. I also carry Aqua Mira. Filters can clog so the Aqua Mira is my backup. There are some piped water sources where you can’t filter, so Aqua Mira is good at those. And, there are some REALLY suspect sources where I both filter and use Aqua Mira. I get about 1000-1200 miles from one filter cartridge.
Iodine is BAD for you. REALLY BAD. If you are going to chemically treat your water, use Aqua Mira.
Most PCT hikers use Aqua Mira. But in the last three years, I’ve seen an increase in the number of hikers who carry filters. In 2001, few people had them. In 2003, over half of the people I hiked with had them.
If you choose NOT to carry a filter, please do not ask to borrow someone else’s filter at a gross water source. If you think you’ll need to filter your water, carry your own filter. Don’t ask someone else to carry the weight for you.
You won’t always find fast, rocky creeks away from cows and people. You will get water from fields where there are both cows and cow sh*t. It will happen on more than one occasion. On the PCT, you take what you can get. Lots of times, your water sources are 15 miles apart.
I would guess I drank about 1.5 gallons per day.
Backpacker has a long article about water treatment in the latest issue.
yogi
There are a lot of places on the PCT aside from the desert where water sources are more than 20 miles apart. Northern California is very dry, as is Oregon. The area around Crater Lake is desert, dry in both directions.
We carried a filter but didn’t use it all the time on the PCT; (we did use it all the time on the CDT, that water was really bad!) It depended on the source. We definitely used it in desert areas, but we also used it in the lakes in Oregon and northern Ca and Washington. We got a lot of water out of lakes - much used and abused by campers, horses and wildlife. Oregon gets a tremenous amount of use by horse groups.
Spirit Walker
thanks for all the info.Looks like i will filter all my water on the trail(i hope town water is ok,heh heh).And back up aqua mira on the really funky stuff.Where do you get replacement filters for the katydyn hiker filter?I guess i should get a spare when i buy the filter.I’m gonna have a tough time outfitting since I live on Maui.Does anybody know a good online outdoor realter,would rather find a good small timer thatn going thru REI.I was planning on maxing the water I carry in 2x, 2 litre platypus sleeves plus 2x, 1 litre bottles on mmy straps.With a full gut of water do you think I could be comfortable on a 20 mile water gap?
newb
Beware that you may need to throw some replacement cartridges in your bounce box. We sent home our filter when we hit the Sierras because the glacial runoff clogs a filter like crazy. We had a brand new cartrige in Kennedy Meadows and it was clogged at the Kern River- that is like two uses!! In areas where water was plentiful, like after Kennedy Meadows I would definately not carry a filter. The replacing of cartridges was just too expensive.
Personally I vote for Polar Pure. We each carried our own and Polar Pure last FOREVER.
You will be fine on a 20-mile water gap. The only problems I ran into were when known sources turned up dry. (Camp Glenwood-where there was supposed to be piped water). Just keep in mind that you can’t always be certain that it is just going to be 20 miles. Always keep your ears open for updates since the water situation changes so often.
Good Luck!
Cross Country PCT '02, AT '99
Cross Country
I agree that treating / filtering water is a personal choice. Americans however are a people driven by fear… The media tells us of all the problems with drinking untreated water. although it is vrey possible to get sick from drinking untreated water, if one is selective about the water s/he drinks getting sick can be avoided. I always carry aqua mira and use it depending on the water source. if the water is coming out of a spring or is moving water high up away from human / cattle activity I dont treat the water…
An imortant habit to get into is washing your hands with soap as we do all the time at home…
here is a study about how washing your hands can actually help avoid the spread of giardia when hiking with others much more than treating water…
http://www.yosemite.org/naturenotes/Giardia.htm#_edn2
-m
mat