[pct-l] Steri-Pen

[brick at fastpack.com (Brick Robbins)]

At 10:33 AM 7/30/03, Sean Crookham wrote:
>Although true that one may not have to always purify water, I do highly 
>encourage and reccomend it. The presence of animal feces, carrion and 
>human beings makes me think better of going without filtering.

Hike your own hike, but thru-hiking is often a matter of only carrying the 
gear that is needed. Since measured levels of Giardia in the High Sierra is 
LOWER than they are in the municipal water system of San Francisco, it 
doesn't seem worth carrying the extra weight. Just like it doesn't seem 
worth carrying a 4 season tent.

That being said, water in **Southern California**  is probably not as 
pristine as in the High Sierra, but I don't think Giardia is the big 
problem down south. I'd be more worried about Coliform Bacteria, and many 
"giardia filters" don't remove that so if you rely on a filter, make sure 
to pick the right one.

>  I have contracted Giardisis several times in the past and it's not fun. 
> Squatting in the bush is a miserable way to spend your hike.

It probably wasn't Giardia (did you have a definite diagnosis, or was it 
presumptive?), and if it was, you probably didn't get it from the water.

>I use the Sweetwater Filter myself and had great success with it.

In a survey on the A.T. a few years back, use of filter had no bearing on 
whether a hiker got intestinal illness or not. I'm glad you feel your 
filter worked for you.

Once again, read the article at 
http://www.californiamountaineer.com/giardia.pdf before you decide what to 
carry. Don't rely entirely on anecdotal evidence from list members (even 
me...<g>)

--
Brick Robbins
How is it one careless match can start a forest  fire,
but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?