[pct-l] glacial runoff

[Diarmaid Harmon]

The cloudy run off water is mostly fine sand and sediment created by the ice grinding the rock up. You should let it settle out before you pour it into your bottle and then treat it. For filtration I would use a bandanna as a pre filter when I used my old pump, I now have a Katadyn filter with a ceramic filter that is easy to clean the silt out of. I don't think it will hurt you but it would be like eating a sandwich at the beach and enjoying the sand with it. 

Hiking Irish.

On Aug 20, 2011, at 10:10 AM, Erik Turnberg wrote:

> Hey all I have a question that I've yet to find a good answer to.  Is
> it ok to drink cloudy glacial runoff.  I've always just treated it
> with aqua mira and let it sit a little longer/used a little extra.  I
> don't filter it because it seems like that fine silt would clog a
> filter asap.  Recently though I hiked the wonderland trail around
> Rainier (great hike but snowy) and another hiker swore it's not
> healthy to drink the stuff and went out of his way to walk a half mile
> up the trail from the site to a clear water source.  Thoughts on
> cloudy glacial water?  Is the high mineral content bad for you?  Does
> it prevent chemical purification from even working?
> 
> Granite
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