[Dslayer]

I've only filtered in places where the water gets heavy animal use and gets warm-my brother and I used to hike and hunt Sutton Mtn in Central Oregon and the only water was a slow running creek that seeped out of the ground at various spots-not the cold and clear running stuff found in most places I hike-I do boil a lot of water when I'm out but mostly because I like a cup of coffee or tea...My brother did get giardia once after a trip to Owyhee Resovoir in Oregon-I guess he thought all the alcohol he drank on that trip would kill any/all nasty microorganisms. And I'm kind of neat freak at any rate-in the personal hygeine sense-I may be cleaner when I'm out and about in the mtns.-I have kind of a semi fetish about running a clean camp.

[Stefan]

He said that 1 in 14 (maybe wrong) of us already carry Giardia. Amazing! Giardia also can't live in frozen areas. I like it! Sounds like Giardia is just a bunch of marketing hype for MSR, Sweetwater......and lots of people buy into that!

[MtnGoat]

Spend a week sh*tting your guts out and then tell me about what we "buy into". MSR didn't sell me on anything, but 7 days of power excretion sure did.

[#19]

Told this before, but I drank out of a tarn on Easy Ridge no bigger than a double garage. I was desperate and a week later I had the 7 day power poops. Doc wasn't sure if it was giardia or some funky little spore. Now I look at the source. Wouldn't drink untreated out of Melakwa Lake, but I'd drink out of a stream coming off Kaleetan.

[Backpacker Joe]

We (most anyway) are guided and ruled by our experiences. When I get killer gee-R-dee-ah I'll probably start treating. Until then I feel that much closer to the out-of-doors MY way! TB

[Steve]

Well, I'm one of the people who filters the water everywhere I go now. Back in 1989 I drank water from Waptus Lake and in the middle of the night had to run to the latrine and had a splitting headache. I suspect that a bacteria was to blame. My brother did his master's thesis studying water borne pathogens and found that almost every water source, including mountain water, is contaminated to some degree with giardia and other blighters. There is a threshold at which a person will be unaffected and I personally don't want to reach it again.

[Backpacker Joe]

I understand. Like I said, personal experience. Someday I'll probably get tagged. Ive gulped Waptus water too, a few times!

[Tom]

I guess that explains everything BPJ .

[Backpacker Joe]

OUR administrator REALLY wanted to do stand up in vegas, but they shunned him so he turned to the internet!!! Wise guy! THAT doesnt begin to explain everything! The ten foot fall off of the roof onto my head at 15, now that starts to explain things! HA!

[rubberlegs]

I'm not condoning this behaviour, but check out this photo of J Harlin III on a recent foray near Koolaid Lake. Saw bear and deer in the vicinity so perhaps they dropped a load into the water!

01HarlinDrink

[Allison]

I've said it before, I'll say it again...what about CTYPTO...SPORIDIUM....? Isn't anyone else worried but me??

[kleet]

I figger if'n I grow enough facial hair, that oughta filter out most of the bigger chunks.

[Backpacker Joe]

I'm with Kleet. People worry to much. Facial hair it is! I've gulped the water all over the enchantments 8 times. I must be a carrier, because I think I'm bullet proof to this stuff.

[Tom]

Famous last words guys. What's so terrible about carrying 3 oz of aquamira? Despite the "remote" probability of my house burning down, I still carry fire insurance because I could not afford the consequences if I didn't. Ignoring the potential long term health consequences, are you willing to sacrifice a summer of hiking recovering from a water borne illness to save 3 oz?

[Backpacker Joe]

Yep! If I havent gotten anything yet, I wont. Hey T.D. dont get me wrong, carry away!!!