[pct-l] To " Filter or Treat"...or not to..."Filter and Treat"

[Reinhold Metzger]

Hey Miles,
I also never get sick drinking iodine treated water and neither have the 
hundreds of Scouts I have hiked with over the last 35+ years.
Some folks, however, do get sick....even legendary hikers, including PCT 
legend Scott Williamson, have gotten sick.
Other folks don't seem to get sick....for example, I have on more than 
on occasion run into an Attorney from LA, another JMT fanatic, who 
drinks the water straight from the source with a cup and never gets sick.
Like I said some folks may have greater resistance or just plain more luck.

However,....I did get sicker than a dog once,....about 20 years 
ago,....in Havasu Canyon in  the Grand Canyon.
One of my hiking partners, a retired career Navy Seal,....former 
Commander of the Seals....the kind of guy you would like to have next to 
you in a combat zone....was telling us that a leafy plant growing in 
Havasu Creek was eatable.
He was eating it, I figured, a career Navy Seal, he knew what he was 
talking about, and he did, so I decided to give it a try.
The trouble is, my ears are not so good....to many Bazooka rounds in 
Vietnam....I was a Marine Bazooka Gunner.
I did not hear that my Seal buddy said that you needed to rub that slimy 
coating off the plant before eating it, so I was eating it straight.

Well, to make a long story short, I got sicker than a dog....much worse 
than a hang over from to much booze and I had a few of those in my 
younger days....I mean I was squirting an puking and just feeling like a 
dog....you don't want that to happen to you.

But,....I never got sick, not in 35+ years, drinking iodine treated 
water and neither did hundreds of Scouts....that my friend is a pretty 
good record and speaks for itself.

Of course, when I hike with the Scouts and ore my wife I am prone to 
take less chances.
I have been known to take chances and do some dumb things when I go 
"solo"....like sitting out a lightning storm
on top of Mt. Whitney in a little cave like crevasse about 100 ft from 
the hut.

Boy, you can't believe how loud thunder can be until it strikes right 
next to you.
I survived,....but I don't think it did anything to improve my hearing.

Yes Miles, I am sure it was all that yummy gum on the sidewalk and that 
dirt that you ate that made you more resistant.
DIRT  IS  GOOD FOR  YOU....that is why  "thru-hikers"  are always so 
dirty....they know what is good for them, it comes with experience.
For that same reason you can always tell clean "day hikers or a weekend 
hikers"  from  "thru-hikers"....they have not yet learned that  "dirt is 
good for them".....it will come to them with experience.

So, if it works for you Miles, why change....HYOH....and who cares what 
everybody else thinks.
However, if your superior resistance ever fails you,.....you will become 
a  "Believer,...a true Believer".
I think Al Shaver will vouch for that.

JMT Reinhold
Your grubby, scuzzy, dirt loving trail companion
-------------------------------------------

On 9/2/2012 10:09 AM, miles brown wrote:
> Hey, everyone.
>
> I never get sick. Never.
> Ever.
>
> Ever.
>
> I'm sure my strong immune system is a genetic benefit I inherited, and 
> also due to my regular diet (Organic foods and don't eat refined 
> flours or sugars).
>
> But maybe it's because I ate a lot of dirt as a kid. And maybe it's 
> because I picked up all that yummy gum people left for me on the 
> sidewalks...
>
> *ANYWAY!...*
> Who, of you, would recommend that I don't bother treating water. And 
> who of you would say, "alright, sucker! You go. You go and get sicker 
> than a stray dog!" ?
>
> On Sun, Sep 2, 2012 at 8:16 AM, Reinhold Metzger 
> <reinholdmetzger at cox.net <mailto:reinholdmetzger at cox.net>> wrote:
>
>       Melanie wrote:
>     I'm a "germaphobe" who is sick of lugging my water filter around.
>     I am also "cheap".....I'll go back and review the information on
>     the PCT
>     list........
>     ----------------------------------------------------
>     Reinhold writes:
>
>     VICTORIA,.....I mean Melanie,
>     If  "CHEAP"  is major concern, consider  "IODINE".....you can't
>     get any
>     cheaper than that.
>     About 35 years ago we provided each  High Adventure Leader in our Boy
>     Scout Troop with a little bottle of iodine crystals in solution to
>     treat
>     the water on our backpacking treks.
>     Then, about 15 years ago, I removed some of the iodine crystals into a
>     smaller bottle that I use on my solo treks.
>     Guess what?....I still have and use those bottles....probably give
>     them
>     to my boys when my hiking days are over.
>     So you see,.....they seem to last forever....you simply treat your
>     water, cap off the iodine bottle and 20 minutes later the solution is
>     again fully recharged and ready to treat more water etc.,etc.,etc.
>     As long as there are crystals at the bottom you will have a fully
>     recharged iodine solution.
>
>     Like I said, you can't get any cheaper than that.....that one bottle
>     will most likely last you a life time.
>
>     Read my below Aug., 18, 2012 post for more info.
>
>     JMT Reinhold
>     Your  fellow  "El Cheapo"  trail companion.
>     -------------------------------------------------------------
>     August 18 2012 Reinhold Metzger wrote:
>
>     Yes Lindsey,....well said.
>     This question, to filter or not to filter in the Sierra, comes up
>     every
>     year and like you said, opinions vary.
>     I have hiked the Sierra since 1968 and NEVER FILTER.
>     I don't like the weight, the bulkiness and the time it takes to
>     filter.
>     Also, filters can plug up or crack and become unreliable.
>     I was given a very expensive filter as a Christmas present many
>     years ago.
>     I never used it and gave it to a backpacker friend.
>     However, having said that, I always TREAT MY WATER.
>     When I go solo, or with Karen, my wife, I carry a 1.5 oz bottle of
>     iodine crystals in solution.
>     That is total weight....bottle, crystals and solution.
>     That 1.5 oz bottle gives me the peace of mind and freedom to drink
>     when
>     I want to, where I want to without having to question whether the
>     water
>     is safe to drink or not.
>     Furthermore, that 1.5 oz bottle will treat 2 liters at a time, never
>     plugs up, never runs out...you merely cap it off and in 20 minutes it
>     is, again, fully recharged and ready to treat another 2 liters,
>     etc.,etc.,etc.
>     Another good thing....it takes no time at all to pour a cap of iodine
>     solution into your water bottles.
>     The downside, you need to wait about 20 minutes to drink the water.
>     That is why I usually will leave 1/4 liter or so in one bottle
>     until the
>     next refill.
>     I don't like iodine pills......they sometimes take forever to dissolve
>     in real cold water and they may loose their potency if exposed to
>     humid
>     air, which is a possibility in rainy weather.
>     Another downside about iodine,...some folks don't like the slight
>     iodine
>     flavor, especially if they treat it on the strong side.
>     I have been using iodine so long, I don't notice it anymore.
>     Some folks say it has effected my thinking and that I don't notice
>     that
>     anymore neither......hhhhmmmm.
>     Those folks that are bothered by the slight iodine flavor,..a dash of
>     "CRYSTAL LIGHT" will give you just about any flavor your little hearts
>     desire.
>     WORD OF CAUTION.....if you add flavoring to your water wait until the
>     iodine had sufficient time to purify the water before adding the
>     flavoring.
>
>     There is much disagreement about the Sierra water Some claim there is
>     nothing wrong with the water....most of the water is purer than
>     our tap
>     water and it is very rare that the water is contaminated with Giardia.
>     This may be true, however,......WHICH  is pure?......WHICH  is
>     contaminated?
>     Also, what may be pure today may not be pure tomorrow if some horses,
>     cows ore hikers contaminated the water upstream.
>     Some folks drink the water straight and never get sick and some do get
>     sick (even PCT legend Scott Williamson has gotten sick).
>     Some filter and still get sick.
>     Some folks may be more resistant than others, others may just be
>     luckier.
>
>     Some folks claim it is not the water it is interaction with other
>     hikers
>     and poor sanitation.
>     This may be one cause, but the water is also a cause.
>     I have hiked the Sierra, the Rockies and the Grand Canyon, much of it
>     with the Boy Scouts, since 1968 and I and none of the Scouts ever
>     got sick.
>     Wen you hike with the Scouts there is much interaction with other
>     hiker,
>     like physical contact sharing of food and equipment etc.
>     I think the reason nobody ever got sick, is because we treated our
>     water.
>
>     Al Shaver, on his 3 JMT record attempts, for a variety of reasons,
>     made
>     a deliberate decision not to filter or treat his water.
>     If you are interested in reading about "Al's" strategy for the JMT
>     record and his reason for not filtering or treating his water go to:
>     John Muir Trail (JMT) Record Attempt - Unsupported, Without Resupply
>
>     If you are interested in the results go to:
>     Results: John Muir Rail (JMT) Record Attempt - Unsupported,
>     Without Resupply
>
>     DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU
>
>     JMT Reinhold
>       ----------------------------------------------------
>     Lindsey wrote:
>     There's been a few posts recently about water quality, filtering etc.
>     For me the take away lesson is that you should do what you feel
>     comfortable with.
>     It seems like there's many on this list you choose to forgo
>     filtering in
>     the Sierras and those who do filter.
>     I fall into the camp of always filtering.
>     NOT because I think every water source is taunted (I'm sure many are
>     very good), but filtering just offers me an additional peace of mind,
>     same as the hiker Matt mentioned below.
>     I have a very sensitive stomach, so taking precautions, even ones that
>     simply exist to help me feel mentally better, are worth it.
>     So, do what you feel comfortable with! If you choose to forgo
>     filtering
>     but are going to spend the whole time worrying about getting sick then
>     maybe a different solution will work better for you.
>     Hike your own hike :)
>     Enjoy! Lindsey
>
>
>
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