[at-l] Victoria's thread about water purification - and sex on a thru! :)

[Clark Wright]

Well, I just HAD to pipe up after reading the thread on Victoria’s questions
about pregnancy and water purification – I reckon we can call it water,
walking and sex on the AT! :-)  Anyhow, on the serious side, I have always
felt that water purification is a topic that, while it triggers lots of
comments and opinions, it rarely gets the breadth of discussion and thinking
that it deserves.  Here are some random thoughts:

 

1)  Focusing on water purification without focusing on hand and cooking gear
sanitation is kinda like pissin into the wind . . .to me, the single most
important purification gear you can carry is a small bottle of purell or
equivalent hand sanitizer gel . . . 

 

2)  I cannot find any specific reference, but I seem to recall that someone
did a survey study in years past where three groups of hikers were followed
in terms of water-borne disease issues; one third used no treatment; one
third used pump filters; and one third used chemical treatment.  If I recall
correctly, there was no statistical difference in the occurrence of stomach
problems or other contaminated water related diseases between the three
groups . . . 

 

3)  I find that many people who use pump filters on a thru end up sending
them home due to the weight issue; and note that once you start using the
pump, it stays wet (i.e. heavier than its listed weight) for the rest of
your hike . . .

 

4)  I also find that many people who use pump filters do not practice “safe
water pumping” and end up cross contaminating the clean end with the dirty
end by putting them all in the same ziplock bag, by not being careful
enough, etc.  Perhaps more importantly, if the water really is contaminated,
it is really hard to pump without getting your hands, water bottles, pots,
pans, etc. contaminated . . . the purell can help a lot with the hands, but
you really have to work at it to keep clean all those other surfaces that
may reinfect your hands or mouth during – say – a typical evening cooking
activity.

 

5)  I also see people with pumps come to see themselves as immune from water
contamination problems in terms of selecting water sources; heck, some even
revel in using their pump in some retched mud puddle.  I reckon my point
here is that you should always try to use the cleanest, clearest possible
water source, and you should always “think uphill” (i.e., check out what is
above that spring, creek, water pipe, etc.

 

6)  The only time I have gotten seriously sick on the AT in over 30 years of
walking on it was from a closed-in hand pump in New York at a picnic shelter
that I (unfortunately) trusted . . . and one of the largest water
contamination outbreaks on the AT in years past was from a contaminated
“tap” water source . . . 

 

In short, this is a tough, tough issue, with lots of variables, and lots of
personal hygiene/habit variables on top of those you cannot fully control.
For someone in good health with a good immune system, I would recommend
doing what I do – alternate between Potable Aqua (which does a good job, and
with the citric acid taste removal tablets does not taste bad, but does NOT
work worth a hoot in cold weather) and Aqua Mira or its equivalent, plus
boiling all cooking water, plus an occasional “risky behavior” flier when I
see a spring coming straight out of a hillside and no nearby warning signs
of trouble (such as nearby farms, livestock, or new/old industrial sites).
When I am hiking or camping on shorter trips where weight is not as much of
an issue, or with my family, the pump is definitely the way to go – or,
better yet, the iodine tablets or AM, followed by the pump.  I have a hiking
buddy who has the MSR ozone gizmo, and he now swears by it, so that may well
be another good option to explore.

 

Now, about that thru-hike pregnancy anticipation issue . . . Victoria,
inquiring minds just gotta know what the story behind the story is there.
In all my years, you are the first person contemplating a thruhike that I
have heard talk about possible thruhike pregnancy planning! :-)  From my
long distance hiking experiences, after about a month in the woods, even us
24/7 sex on the brain guys just about forget about anything to do with sex,
though I do recall some discussions about the female thruhiker rating scale
being reduced from 1-10 to a simple binary equation – feasible or just not
within the realm of possibility!  Ho-ho-ho!

 

So here’s to safe water and – er - sex on the AT!

 

Thru-Thinker

 

I. Clark Wright, Jr.

Ward and Davis, LLP

409 Pollock Street

New Bern, NC 28560

252-633-1101

252-633-9400 (fax)

252-229-5900 (cell)

 


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