tomcat Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 So .. do you filter your water when you're in the cascades? Iodine tablets? I have never once brought a filter in the cascades dating back to 1987. I have used a filter on two occasions in situations where the only drinking water was a stagnant pool and my climbing partner happened to have a filter with him. I have also never had giharrdia. So, am I lucky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg_W Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Potable Aqua with the neutralizer tablets. Fuck filters, they're extra weight and can break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I use a msr filter. It works so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg_W Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Whenever I carried a filter, I always carried tablets as a backup. Just in case. Then I realized I could just use the tablets and save the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 You have been lucky. I know two people who have gotten the "beaver fever" and they don't drink untreated water anymore. I have a PUR water filter that I like. If I don't want the extra weight, I'll use iodine tablets or boil, but I always treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 only 40% of people will ever develop giardia symptoms. the rest of us can carry it with no ill effects, and we dont need filters. after watching various partners drink out of creeks i drank out of, then gt ill, i guess i am in the lucky 60% or all the alcohol killed off the bugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisT Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Hiking around in the Sierras we never filtered the water, just drank out of the streams. It wasn't until the Cascades that I started using iodine and I assumed that only the water in the Cascades was tainted but I've since been told that I was just very lucky. I guess I have a strong constitution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I know lots of people don't treat the water. That's cool with me. Call me a pussy, cause I don't mind carrying an extra 13 oz. to hopefully protect me from the nasties. I understand that it's a horrible few days if you get the shiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Hiking around in the Sierras we never filtered the water, just drank out of the streams. Chris, I too used to backpack in the Sierra range. I usually drank without filtering. I used to try to "evaluate" the water source and decide whether to treat with iodine or not. Then I realized that you can't tell where your water has been unless you watch it come out of the ground, or melt from a snow field. Now I always treat, or filter. The PUR filters are so fast that one filter can be shared between four-six people on a climb. I just say, "you carry the stove, I have the filter". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Trask, if you've ever been treated for giardiasis, you'll know that the cure is almost worse than the disease. Standard treatment is metronidazole, which is an antibiotic used to treat gram-negative, anaerobic and protozoal infections. It's been around a very long time. It makes you nauseous. So picture this: diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, gas, flatulence... not nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisT Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Maybe I'm naive but I thought giharrdia emanated from water sources frequented by beavers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcat Posted January 25, 2003 Author Share Posted January 25, 2003 Maybe I'm in that 40 percentile that Dru was talking about. Or maybe it's the beer. http://www.bsa-troop237.org/prevent/pages/ghiar.html "the EPA says 80% of all water in the wild contains this protozoan, typically in streams and lakes, but even in the snow you might melt. Giardia protozoa spends part of their life cycle in the intestines of mammals. Think of all the mammals that poop in the water, directly or indirectly: the marmot on the boulder surrounded by snow, the pica scurrying around the rocks with a stream flowing under, the beaver that fouls the stream, the horse or mule that stops at each stream crossing to relieve, the infected Homo Sapian who did not wash his/her hands before preparing food." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Maybe I'm naive but I thought giharrdia emanated from water sources frequented by beavers... Beavers usually get the rap for spreading Giardia (some people call it Beaver Fever), but William Bemrick, a University of Minnesota researcher, said beavers are blamed far too often. He cited studies on muskrats that showed them to carry even more cysts than beavers that lived nearby. Bemrick also pointed out that infected humans do more than their share of spreading the disease. Three-hundred million cysts may be present in one milligram of human feces, Bemrick wrote, and these cysts can survive for a month in cool water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucK Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Trask, if you've ever been treated for giardiasis, you'll know that the cure is almost worse than the disease. Standard treatment is metronidazole, which is an antibiotic used to treat gram-negative, anaerobic and protozoal infections. It's been around a very long time. It makes you nauseous. So picture this: diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, gas, flatulence... not nice! Yeah! But it's dirt cheap!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 No shame in filters. If I ever get beaver death then I will consider it. Until then I will just carry pills and use chlorine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsydian Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I carry a filter for multi day trips or many in the party, always carry iodine tablets for one day trips or emergency. Never drink untreated water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Untreated water can be fine. Observe the source and you can either pill it or make an educated guess about the source. Meaning if it's sub alpine think about where it comes from animals and humans and all. If you dont know what I mean then just carry a damn filter or pills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsydian Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I used to drink from anything back when I was a tree planter, but then I noticed all the little critters having their way in the hillsides, makes you wonder what you really are drinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 not many trees up in high country (like zero). I understand your reasoning. read comments about source to understand where I come from. carry pills as a backup all the time. They weigh like what 1/2 ounce and take up like what no space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsydian Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Then I started looking above tree line, saw all those climbers taking a leak...filter away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Then I started looking above tree line, saw all those climbers taking a leak...filter away! I guess it was too hard to read my comments Observe the source and you can either pill it or make an educated guess about the source. Meaning if it's sub alpine think about where it comes from animals and humans and all. If you dont know what I mean then just carry a damn filter or pills. then. We can all view your mental power is lacking. Just carry a filter at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 If you use iodine pills, make sure you give them time to work. They work best in warm water. Put the tablets in a liter of water and stick it in your pack and hike with it for a while- maybe an hour to be safe. Giardia is supposed to be somewhat resistant to iodine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Catturdseat, what the hell are you talking about, son? Pour some Jack in your nalgene with a touch of clear mtn. water, shake and bake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Trask, contrary to popular belief, climbing while intoxicated is not advised. Jack Daniels might help keep you from getting bored on the approach. And I imagine that a good WI5 pitch at altitude helps dispell any hungover hangovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jja Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 never tried drunken climbing, but skiing and drinking definitely go well together - instant courage in a bottle. As for the little nasty bugs, a packet of gatorade and a little pill is all I ever use, and I haven't had any problems - but that could just be luck so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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