Author Topic: Water Collection on TGO  (Read 2307 times)

pakratt

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Water Collection on TGO
« on: 14:54:24, 13/03/08 »
What recommendations do you have for collection, water purification, etc while on the TGO. My experience has been in the Southern Rockies. Here we use filters-- and occasionally in high concentrations of life stock (in Idaho open range areas) I will add in a puri tab.
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muymalestado

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Re: Water Collection on TGO
« Reply #1 on: 15:03:40, 13/03/08 »
Welcome pakratt.

High enough up in Scottish hills (not high compared to Colorado!) we just dip & drink.  Everyone's still alive!  The brown water looks as good as whisky; doesn't taste it though.
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Mairi

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Re: Water Collection on TGO
« Reply #2 on: 21:51:01, 13/03/08 »
I've heard there's a danger of liver fluke from Highlands water contaminated by deer droppings, so always boil it before using it. Is it a reliable story or just one spread by estate owners?

mike knipe

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Re: Water Collection on TGO
« Reply #3 on: 22:58:08, 13/03/08 »
As muymalestado says - in the mountains, most people just dip and drink. The water in the west can be quite brown which is due to peat staining. Peat is sterile and makes the water very acid.
However, it might cause stomach upsets to people not used to this water - the sort of thing anybody gets whilst travelling abroad and, there is a chance that an individual might catch a nasty bug - so Mairi's advice to boil it is good. There's no need to carry water because its very freely available. Some people do filter it - and there's a thread on this forum about steripens.
Most backpackers do what muymalestado says, though, including me.
I suspect that many of us dont get ill because we're used to the water and have rather vicious personal defence systems.
In lowland areas, specially where there are cattle and other stock, I'd be a lot less trusting of wild water.
Its also suspect when its in spate due to organisms being washed into burns from surrounding soil - which is always full of c**p
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pakratt

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Re: Water Collection on TGO
« Reply #4 on: 04:48:10, 18/03/08 »
Thanks for the feedback-- I had not thought about the acidity of the water-- my wife will be on a hike with me for 2-weeks and she does not do well with acidic substances on her tummy. I would guess a very small dose of salt would take away the acidic edge off the water then?

I will probably dip and drink in the high areas-- but in the lower ones I will have to watch out for her--

Thanks again!
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mike knipe

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Re: Water Collection on TGO
« Reply #5 on: 09:13:24, 18/03/08 »
Adding salt is certainly a novel idea - Does sodium make water more alkaline?
Ive not heard of this and I  suspect that the effect would be psychological.
The point was that some water may look suspect (it sometimes looks more like tea) - but that the brown colour is harmless, apart from possibly a mild laxative effect. Its not so acid that you'd notice.
The water to avoid is the thick, brown peaty stuff standing around in bogs which is so acid it will make even my dog vomit,   and also slow running valley water, water in large lakes - which might have blue/green algae or lowland water where there are domestic farm stock or crops. Water on mountains and in highland glens is usually pretty good.  I would also avoid any deep brown water from streams which are in spate after heavy rain unless its been boiled - and you might want to get rid of the bigger lumps of peat (!) - this stuff might have high levels of unhealthy organisms in it washed out of the soil by the run-off.
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