[pct-l] Giardia

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

On Oct 22, 2010, at 9:11 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> And whoever said we need germs to stay healthy really shouldn't say  
> something like that.

Just two examples:

Polio - turned out that hyper sterile environments prevented children  
from exposure to polio when they were younger and better able to form  
an immunity

Ringworm - turns out people who have gotten ringworm don't get  
arthritis or other auto-immune disorders. We evolved with a lot of  
these organisms we now fear and do not fully understand the symbiosis  
that may be present with any number of them.

We're not talking smallpox here. We're talking about people going  
overboard in fear of germs in the water. I suggest using products  
like aquamira or a filter as per the instructions and then not  
worrying about it any further. As a Sierra Club hike leader in an  
arid part of the country, I always recommend to people to drink the  
water, unfiltered if you have to, rather than go without and risk  
dehydration or worse. You may get sick, but you can be treated. They  
still don't have a cure for death.

Meanwhile, I know that a huge number of PCT hikers do not treat all  
their water and don't get sick. I was one of them.

Also, there's a good article out there from the Sacramento Bee about  
water purity in the High Sierra and elsewhere.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/25/2703875/bee-exclusive-livestock- 
waste.html