[pct-l] water and walking

[Julian Plamann]

I ran into very few people on the trail this year who were using Steripens.
The majority of people I talked to who had started with them had something
go wrong mechanically somewhere along the way and ended up giving up on the
idea. I was originally planning on using one, but I'm now glad I didn't
knowing how many unhappy customers there are out there.

Also, this is a little off-topic (and I may get yelled at for suggesting it)
but I thought it was interesting. I noticed that a huge majority of the
people I met on the trail this year north of California had given up on the
idea of filtering/treating water at all. I would say at least 70% of the
thru-hikers I met that far north didn't treat at all (I stopped treating at
Kennedy Meadows and never had any issues). As a backup option for really
grimy sources, many had Aqua Mira or bleach in a little dropper bottle.
In the desert where some of the sources were a little less alpine and a
little more cow-crap-filled, I used a little piece of paint strainer mesh to
exclude the floaties and a few drops of Aqua Mira.

-j


On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 8:25 AM, Abigail Wilson <abiwlsn at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all!
>
> I'm planning my first thru-hike and wanted to feel you out on a couple of
> things.  I orginally planned to do the AT, but have become increasingly
> more
> obsessed with the PCT and am trying to figure out how much my assumptions
> should change.  I'm trying to go as ultralight as possible.
>
> First off, do most PCT hikers wear boots?  Trailrunners are more popular on
> the eastern trail, but it seems that all the snow and rockier terrain (esp
> the Sierras) would require more support.  Is it reasonable to start in
> boots
> and switch to lighter footwear after the Sierras?
>
> Also, I'm looking into water purification options.  Has anybody used a
> Steripen for a thru-hike?  They seem like a great, but unreliable, idea.
> What's given you the most success?
>
> This list has been really informative already - thanks for all the sharing!
> If you have any other general advice, don't hold back!  You can email me
> directly too, if you want.
>
> Abi, NC
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