[pct-l] Sierra runs

[edmond at mydogmeg.net (Edmond Meinfelder)]

At 02:24 PM 11/6/2003 -0700, Steve Setzer wrote:
>To those who have hiked the PCT (or hike in those areas) ... would you
>recommend treating the water in the Sierra?  What about outside of the
>Sierra?  I got the impression that the Sierra was the area I should be
>least concerned about but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I did not treat my water anywhere on the trail. I got the lightest case of 
digestive tract of anyone I knew in the Sierra. It came and went for a 
total for 4 days of discomfort in the Sierra. The High Sierra is one of the 
most stunning places on Earth. I want those 4 days back, damn it.

A lot of people would ask, "Do you think this water is safe?" I'd look 
closely at the water source and say, "Well, I don't see any giardia." And 
that's the problem, you really can't tell. Also, the last place I'd expect 
to have gotten sick, I did. This time, I plan to lose the  anxiety entirely 
and just treat the water.

I'm ashamed to admit I bought into Jardine's wisdom stating "You can get 
used to giardia." It could have been worse, I might have believed the 
harmony thing with mosquitoes. I recall one woeful hiker who did. Sadly, 
Sierran mosquitoes do not know you are in harmony with them and bite the 
hell out of you, unless you slather on the DEET.

Tangent