[pct-l] RE: Bears/pink algae

[JHolliday at communitycouncil.org (Jennifer Holliday)]

I hear you, Steve--bears are one of my irrational fears (note to all: I said it was irrational!)  The other is scorpions.  Good thing I actually like to confront my fears!

Could the pink algae in the Sierra (potentially) making hikers sick be the same pink algae that thrived in the tub at my old apartment in Sac?
Jenny

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Setzer [mailto:Steven.Setzer@Colorado.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 1:18 PM
To: Edmond Meinfelder
Cc: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: Bears & Losing weight (Was Re: [pct-l] yet another intro)



That reminds me, I'm afraid of lightning too :)

On bears ... maybe only 133 people have been killed by bears in the past
century, but that doesn't count the people who just had their heads
chomped on (the guy in Rocky Mountain this summer lived with only minor
scarring).  Anyway, I know chances are still essentially nil.

That's strange about people getting sick in the Sierra.  All the articles
I've read about treating/not-treating water seem to use the Sierra as an
example.  It seems as though Giardia is not really a problem there and
many people do not treat their water in the Sierra (I'm assuming these
poeple don't get sick.  Otherwise they'd start treating).  I had convinced
myself that treating water isn't necessary for my 04 PTC hike (I rarely
treat in the Rockies).  Maybe I should re-think that.  I'd hate to have to
bother with that.  Anyway, I don't want to start a water treatment war so
I'll stop now.

Steve


On Thu, 6 Nov 2003, Edmond Meinfelder wrote:

> At 11:46 AM 11/6/2003 -0700, Steve Setzer wrote:
> >Biggest fears ... losing to much weight (I'm already skinny and have a
> >crazy metabolism) and - don't laugh - bears.
>
> If weight loss is a concern, consider treating your water, especially in
> the Sierra. I've no clear idea why, but more people got the runs there than
> anywhere else on the trail. The gestation time of giardia is 1-2 weeks and
> for cryptosporidium it's 2-10 days (according to the CDC). So, it may be
> hikers contracted their bugs early in the Sierra (the Kern river?) or before.
>
> I'm also skinny, have a crazy metabolism (bodyfat - 11%), but I gained 20
> pounds on my hike. It took a few months after my hike before I could fit
> into all my pants again. Town food may have been a bit too good to me. I
> ate a full kilogram a day, more when I got cold.
>
> To be honest, I'm scared of any animal willing and able to demolish a car
> just to get a candy bar. However, black bears and grizzly bears killed 133
> people in North America in the past century (Herreo, Where Bears Attack).
> However there's an average of 73 deaths attributable to lightning every
> year (NOAA).
>
> Tangent
>
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