Backpacking North

Interesting post. I never treat or filter water he...

2012-05-30T00:35:55.013+03:00

Interesting post. I never treat or filter water here in Scotland though some people do. If I am abroad where there is any risk of Giardia I use iodine tincture (tastes better than tablets and much cheaper) or boil before drinking. I picked up Giardia in India ten years ago and I don't want to go through that again. Vitamin C is good for removing the iodine taste but to be honest I quite like it as it reminds me of trekking in Nepal back in '96!

Thanks, Even. A really interesting contribution! ...

2012-05-24T22:06:48.796+03:00

Thanks, Even. A really interesting contribution!

I often find myself in two minds about the whole issue. I kind of agree that building up some immunity to bacteria is probably the more "natural" preventative measure in the long run. But the short term process involved in doing that (allowing myself to suffer) doesn't really appeal to me.
I'm fortunate now that in Lapland we probably have pretty clean water, and so far I've not been filtering here. However, as I mentioned, I'm pretty sure I caught something once. Perhaps that gave me some level of immunity. Or perhaps next time I drink the water I'm really going to wish I'd found out if quassia grows in Lapland :)

Until consumer-priced filters became available in...

2012-05-24T19:11:15.174+03:00

Until consumer-priced filters became available in the '80s, most people drank mountain streams directly, as I still do, and have for over 50 years. Having traveled and backpacked and cycled extensively in Mexico and Guatemala I learned how to deal with amoebic dysentery, which is much worse than giardia, and Ascaria worms, the most common kind. ALL can easily be cured -without inhibiting your trip- with the herb quassia, or common broad-spectrum antibiotics, IF you treat it promptly and understand the process. I've put what I know at: http://spryeye.blogspot.com/2012/05/cure-intestinal-parasies-naturally.html

So now I carry a 1 oz bottle of "yodo" from any Mexican pharmacy, which used to be iodine, but now has a different active ingredient -in case I have to drink from a suspect source, like Boulder Creek in town here. And if my trip is longer than 20 days -the incubation time of most parasites, I carry a couple of ounces of quassia.

This way I've built up a solid immune system against mere bacterial problems, which you won't do if you filter all your water. And I spend zero time pumping.

I've read various advice and recommendations a...

2012-05-24T18:59:36.537+03:00

I've read various advice and recommendations about this, ranging from it only needing to be above 80C, to boiling for 10 - 15 minutes. I went with 1 minute as a a "good enough / better safe than sorry" happy medium. In all likelihood, there's no difference between just bringing it to a rolling boil, or keeping the boil rolling for 1 minute.

Either way, I probably wouldn't choose boiling as my optimum method, but as a backup it's hard to beat (assuming, of course you have a stove or can make a fire).

I agree with hiker guy: just bringing water to the...

2012-05-24T17:41:29.089+03:00

I agree with hiker guy: just bringing water to the boiling point is sufficient. The notion that you have to boil for a set period is folk lore. The temperature at which bugs are killed is actually much lower than boiling, but the visual cue is easier than carrying a thermometer in the field.

I have to ask about your statement about boiling w...

2012-05-24T16:46:57.288+03:00

I have to ask about your statement about boiling water for at least one minute: That's counter to the Wilderness Medicine Institute's guidance that bringing water to a roiling boil will kill everything we need to worry about. However, the folk wisdom of boiling for x minutes for every thousand feet above 5,000 feet seems to be everywhere. I have always brought my untreated cooking/rehydrating water up to a roiling boil, and immediately turned off the heat - even at altitude - and I've never gotten sick, which makes me think that the WMI guidance is pretty good. Does anyone out there believe a one-minute or longer boil is necessary?

If that works for you, that's great! For me t...

2012-05-24T12:55:34.454+03:00

If that works for you, that's great!

For me though, bleach is a step too far.

Use Vitamin-C (L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate) bou...

2012-05-24T00:27:52.082+03:00

Use Vitamin-C (L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate) bought as a baking/household ingredient from the food-store (usually the spice-shelf here in Sweden). Use about half a teaspoon per liter(?) of bleach purified water. I was amazed how it really neutralized some of that swimming-pool-smell.

I usually filter the water in Southern Finland, th...

2012-05-22T20:48:27.516+03:00

I usually filter the water in Southern Finland, though I think the risk of getting ill is pretty small. My water filter is a Katadyn Hiker bought some seven years ago and I haven't had any problems with it clogging up, but the water I use is pretty clean anyway. In the Scandinavian fells I've never treated water, though I remember last year in Norway the authorities recommended water treatment all over the country.

I use the Super Delios and like it a lot but it is...

2012-05-22T15:21:15.266+03:00

I use the Super Delios and like it a lot but it is made in Japan and seems not to be available after the tsunami. I might get the Sawyer as it is similar to the Delios, although a bit heavier. The Sawyer has a finer filter as well. The flow rate on my Delios is beginning to slow.

We had to brush-clean it every second day and it w...

2012-05-22T09:53:51.330+03:00

We had to brush-clean it every second day and it went smoothly again... but yes, it's always kind of biceps-training to pump >5l a day. For now, I'm happy with the pump, but I'll try the Sawyer if it breaks some day.

How long did it last? As I wrote, I found that af...

2012-05-22T09:42:35.041+03:00

How long did it last?

As I wrote, I found that after a few days pumping, it had clogged up. The effort required to pump was much greater, frequently causing the pressure release to trigger, which was exasperating as it measn you have to pump really slowly.
Compared to that, a Sawyer in gravity mode is a breath of fresh air: just sit back and let it do all the work.

On our trek through Anti-Atlas in Morocco we used ...

2012-05-22T09:18:50.524+03:00

On our trek through Anti-Atlas in Morocco we used a MSR Pump Filter to get water out of greeeeeen waterholes left by the last rain months ago.

Thanks Mikkel! The more I think about it (and the...

2012-05-22T08:18:51.012+03:00

Thanks Mikkel!

The more I think about it (and there's nothing like writing an article about it to make you think) the more I feel I might take some bare minimum along with me next time I'm out. A basic reservoir and Sawyer maybe, just to be on the safe side. 50g is a pretty small weight penalty.

It's true – while I joke about not being able ...

2012-05-22T08:15:46.802+03:00

It's true – while I joke about not being able to see the pile of dead reindeer over the crest of the hill, you never know what lies up stream. Of course if you happen to find a nice spring.

I remembered just now that in the Boundary Waters the general rule of thumb was that you could drink water directly from the lakes if you were in the middle of them. Something to to do with dissipation of contaminants, I believe. I'm not totally convinced though.

Since moving to Norway I've rarely treated wat...

2012-05-21T22:26:07.456+03:00

Since moving to Norway I've rarely treated water until last year when Thomas and I hiked the Jotunheimstien. With sheep everywhere we were forced to use Aqua Mira drops and other chlorine dioxide tablets. After that trip it seemed everywhere else was over run with lemmings, pissing in the water and spreading disease, so I continued using the tablets for the rest of the year! So far this year I haven't treated any water but now that the hill sheep are out again I will a bit more cautious with my water sources.

Great review! Bought a water filter last year, bu...

2012-05-21T22:08:07.923+03:00

Great review!

Bought a water filter last year, but tend to leave it behind and still haven't put it to use here in Norway. Last year saw an outbreak of tularemi that made us boil our water, though. Guess we're lucky here in Scandinavia!

"And it's great to support independent Na...

2012-05-09T02:06:01.952+03:00

"And it's great to support independent Native American businesses that aren't related to casinos. " Amen.

They do indeed! And it's great to support inde...

2012-05-08T13:36:41.760+03:00

They do indeed! And it's great to support independent Native American businesses that aren't related to casinos.
The Seward Coop in Minneapolis had the Slim Jim style goodies too, so I have tasted them also. I prefer the "original" cranberry and buffalo, simply for the delicious chunks of juicy cranberry in every bite.
Advert over :)

Cheers, Jörgen. The good news is that, after a fin...

2012-05-08T13:32:09.644+03:00

Cheers, Jörgen. The good news is that, after a final dumping of 20cm on May 5th, The snow is in fast retreat now. Even the river "officially" melted at 4:55PM yesterday.

Tanka Bars rock! My favorite is the Slim Jim type...

2012-05-08T02:49:38.231+03:00

Tanka Bars rock! My favorite is the Slim Jim type snack they make. Way less fat than the original as well. Unfortunately, Tanka retailers have yet to catch on. Most places only carry the bars.

Well written. The bitter-sweetness of all transiti...

2012-05-04T16:35:40.684+03:00

Well written. The bitter-sweetness of all transitions.

I love getting to know a place so you know it like...

2012-05-02T20:52:23.889+03:00

I love getting to know a place so you know it like the back of your hand, but then occasionally get surprised by something hidden or new. The nice thing about Ounasvaara is that it's small enough to be familiar, but large enough to provide a wealth of different areas to explore, and it completely changes with the seasons. Each visit can be different; previously visited or unknown. Right now I'm looking forward to my favorite nature trail opening up, leading through a little gully of the spooky little marsh ferns, a couple of nice rock formations, and a spring. I walked over the same area in winter, and couldn't see a thing.

I missed this yesterday so i was glad of your twee...

2012-05-02T17:05:01.097+03:00

I missed this yesterday so i was glad of your tweet about your having tarted up your blog :)
I love the comparison of the same area at different times of the year, different paths becoming accessible, bogs showing up where in colder times you can easily walk straight over. It's quite different to the UK. I enjoy the familiarity you gain through knowing the land, and it's nice to see you seem to, too.

Aye, it's a rum old do. Still, the patches of ...

2012-05-02T07:29:01.882+03:00

Aye, it's a rum old do. Still, the patches of grass/forest floor are getting bigger every day. Just have to get through the wet part now, and the rivers flooding (which I suspect this year will be quite spectacular).

I know, though, that in a few months time I'll be all "Oh come on winter, let's have some snow." Hard to believe it now that I'm sick of the sight of the stuff, but it happens every year.