Water on the Trail

Water is a necessity, but it gains even more significance while on the trail, especially when the weather is hot. You also gain a certain appreciation for the value of water seeing as getting it on the trail is not as simple as turning on a tap. While not everyone on the trail treats their water, you do take certain risks if you don't. Water sources can be contaminated by bacteria that can make you sick. For the most part, people who don't treat their water are far more selective about where they get it, choosing water sources that look clean. Others choose to treat their water with chemicals. While I was on the trail, Jonathan and I used a water pump to purify our water. Now that I am off the trail, Jonathan has ditched the pump in favor of chemicals,(water treatment tablets), which are a much lighter alternative. You think more carefully about your equipment choices when you don't have anyone to share the weight. The only time we didn't treat our water was when it came from a spring. When getting water from a spring you are getting it directly from the source, usually a crack in a rock, and that makes the risks of contamination relatively low. The picture above, however, proves to be an exception. This was the first spring that we came across and it had been piped into a bath tub in order to make collection easier. We also didn't pump the water we would be cooking with. We had a collapsible soft bucket which we used to dip water directly from the water source. We sometimes had to let the sediment settle before using, but then it was treated by boiling. Sometimes the water had a very yellow appearance; at other times it had a pine-like taste.
Madeline