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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Good
morning, Stone Dancer,</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Thinking about water purification I’m reminded of the PCT
hiker who carried a charm to ward off elephants.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It must have worked because he didn’t
see a single elephant on the entire trip.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The closest thing to an absolute in water purification is bringing the
water to a rolling boil, and keeping it there for five minutes.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That will kill the bugs, however it
won’t deal with particulate or inorganic constitutions.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Few -- if any -- hikers boil their
drinking water, for good reason:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It
is onerous in terms of the time required, and the weight of the associated fuel
and equipment; even more so for those of us who do not cook our food.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The first -- and last -- time I boiled
drinking water was in 1954 when trying to advance as a Boy Scout from Tenderfoot
to the lofty Second-Class rank.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">During the intervening years I’ve drunk considerable
untreated wild-water and I didn’t get sick. I’ve also used about all of the
common filtration/purification methods with the exception of the latest UV
technology:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’ve strained water
through a bandana, and I didn’t get sick.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I’ve used Halazone and iodine tablets, and I didn’t get sick.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’ve used various modern pump-filters,
and I didn’t get sick.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’ve used
tincture-of-iodine and I didn’t get sick<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’ve used Clorox Bleach and I
didn’t get sick.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’ve used Aqua
Mira and I didn’t get sick.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">I
very much agree with Steady’s recent comments and rationale about Clorox vs.
Aqua Mira.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Anything short of boiling is a
compromise, and we all get to decide the extent to which we will compromise
during a hike. </SPAN>My current operational compromise is to drink
wild-water when I think it is reasonably safe, and treat potentially
contaminated water with Clorox.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Steel-Eye</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">^^^^^^^^^^<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Serious hikers gather at:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.aldhawest.org/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: purple">http://www.aldhawest.org/</SPAN></A>
^^^^^^^^^^</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=StoneDancer1@aol.com
href="mailto:StoneDancer1@aol.com">StoneDancer1@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
href="mailto:pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net">pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, February 28, 2008 9:43
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [pct-l] Aqua Mira v
chlorine</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=3>
<DIV>Survey: Could we have some pros and cons comparing the use of Aqua
Mira to 2drops/liter of household chlorine? </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Any one have experience on effectiveness, cost, corrosive incidents,
anything like that??</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This came to mind as my Aqua Mira vanished inside my pack and I was
scrounging ideas for how to proceed until VVR. I dubbed my AM "the
Precious" right after that. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Stone Dancer</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT style="FONT: 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF; COLOR: black">
<HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">
Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. <A
title=http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598
href="http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598"
target=_blank>Watch the video on AOL Living.</A></FONT></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
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