[pct-l] cow pie blues

[CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@xxxxxxx)]

Sounds like those chlorine dioxide tablets are the way to go. No filter 
weight or hassle, no icky taste and the pure waterists can carry a few for those 
unfortunate places where the source of life must be shared with a wretched cow 
hell bent for Mickey D's, or sacred beast that houses the spirit of a random 
ancestor. Your view may vary. I figure if the cow pies have been there a while 
and the e-coli has done their composting thing, and it isn't raining or just 
rained, I'll give it a go. But if they are fresh cow pies, or the water source 
is a bit brown form all the rain, all bets are off and the chlorine tablets are 
probably a good way to prevent an immune system overload. I mean, if you 
trust the stuff to purify water at home that no sane person would ever drink 
untreated, why not trust it to kill the few random germs that show up on most 
mountain wilderness water tests? As for drinking smart, I figure most people have 
the sense not to fill a water bottle on the downstream side of a trail filled 
with horse manure