[pct-l] Water- I rarely filtered or treated

[Edward Anderson]

For what it's worth - here's what I did. And it worked for me. I never got sick 
from water while living on the trail for over five months.  I didn't go into 
towns as most of the hikers do. I usually camped alone in off- trail places - 
often at spots where there was no signs that anyone had ever camped there 
before. Yes, you can discover, and enjoy, a true wilderness setting within a 
quarter of a mile of the well-traveled PCT. 

Although I brought iodine water treatment along I never once used it. I dislike 
using chemicals.  I did bring along an MSR filter and used it a few times while 
in Southern C. - maybe six times.  More often I could find a small spring or a 
small creek with fast moving and well aerated where I could fill up my 
containers.  I carried a 44 0z. canteen and four 20 oz Gator Aid bottles.  This 
is a total of 124 ounces.  I was riding a horse and sometimes walking.  That 
amount of water, I discovered, could last me up to two days if I was careful. 
The hikers, especially thru hikers who want to cover big miles would need more.

In N. California, Oregon, and Washington, again, I never treated water with 
chemicals but did filter about three times. I topped up my containers whenever I 
found what I considered a safe source.  Here is what I was looking for:  A 
spring is the best place to find good water. I would get my water at the source 
- the place where it is coming out of the rock or ground. Springs are usually 
indicated on the maps.  Just check the WP maps. I would always try to go to the 
source. The other good source of what I considered safe water is small creeklets 
which are moving fast and coming from places where my map would show that there 
are no trails or roads upstream - AND not in cattle country. Another place where 
I sometimes dipped water was from the surface water of still, clear ponds and 
lakes - provided that the wind was not blowing and there was full, direct 
sunlight on the water. The top three or four inches will have been purified by 
the ultra-violet components of sunshine.  There were times when I simply laid my 
four clear plastic Gatoraid bottles in the full sun for three or four hours.  I 
would heat water for a solar shower at the same time.  A solar shower is a great 
thing to have along.  It also provides the convenience of running water from a 
faucet at your camp location. My old solar shower holds 10 quarts and weighs 11 
1/2 ounces.  For next years' ride I will replace it with a Pocket Shower which 
holds just as much and only weighs 4 1/2 ounces.  I learned about that from 
Dianne. Thanks Piper.

Some people are, indeed, paranoid about water.  Here is an incident that I came 
across in central Oregon, just a few miles south of McKenzie Pass.  The place 
was Minne Scott Spring.  I set up camp about 400' from the spring.  When I went 
down to the spring to fill up with water there was this man filtering the water 
that was coming directly out of the rock.  I asked him why. Told him that this 
was beautiful water - you don't need to filter it. He replyed that he trusts NO 
water. He filtered all of his water!  Oh well - - -.

MendoRider