[pct-l] ''Believer''

[Reinhold Metzger]

HI  GANG,
If you remember Al Shaver, in his resent unsupported JMT record attempt, was
so driven to be ultra light that he decided, among other essentials, not to
carry water purification chemicals or pump.
I tried to persuade him otherwise but his mind was programmed like a trail
runner......some trail runners (and backpackers) claim the ''Giardia'' scare
is overblown and you can drink it straight from the river with a cup if the
water looks good and besides,  ''Giardia'' takes 7-10 days (more or less)
to show it's ugly face and by that time, Al reasoned, he will be out.
To make a long story short.......Al caught it.......I mean he caught it
good.
The lesson to be learned from this is as follows:.............The water may
look good but may still be contaminated........or it may be good today and
contaminated tomorrow........some people have developed a greater resistance
or immunity to ''Giardia''.
I have met an Attorney on the JMT, on three separate occasions, who has bin
drinking straight from the lakes and rivers for ten years and never caught
it.
Kevin Sawchuck, the supported JMT record holder, drinks it straight from the
lakes and rivers.
Unfortunately, many more people do catch it every year.
Some people believe in treating or filtering their water, some people don't.
I am a ''Believer''  and believe me you also will be a ''Believer''  if you
ever catch it.
Al tells me he also is a ''Believer'' now.

JMT Reinhold
The ''Believer''