Date: 2014-01-29
To: Water
Miles today: 0.0

WaterWater, water everywhere¢¦but is any good to drink?You need one to two gallons of water per hiking day. Even half a day without water on a long hike is torture. Thirst and dehydration have a long list of unpleasant symptoms and eventually you die. Fortunately there is a lot of water near the Appalachian Trail. The only big question is- how to get it and how to make it safe to drink?From Georgia to Maryland the water is fairly plentiful and in places amazingly delicious. You can find water in puddles, springs, seeps, pools, creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Most of the time you can use a water bottle of some kind to fill and carry your water but sometimes you need to use a trick-Trick- Cary a zip-lock bag (without holes) in your pocket¢¦you can reach water in tight spaces and get large amounts of water from puddles and shallow pools.Another trick- Use a leaf or stick to make water flow down into your bottle/container.Tip- try to get water from below the surface of large pools¢¦ a lot of bad things you don¢t want float at the surface.Tip- Point your water bottle downstream and cap underwater when filling from moving water like a river.From Pennsylvania to New Hampshire water became a problem for me. I don¢t know if it was just the drought of 2012 or if the water is always that bad. Many of the streams looked orange and unappetizing. The beaver ponds are a microbe paradise. Some New York water was green (smelled like a sewer) and parts of New Jersey was not much better. In between the bad spots there was some good water too.Many of the hikers used bandanas over their water bottles to filter the nasty stuff. Trail Angels left water jugs for trail magic and saved lives in 2012¢¦Thank you!I had to make a filter system using rocks, sand, and charcoal that I know from survival training.From New Hampshire to Maine the water got better.Animals (Not Animal, well maybe me too), even some dogs can carry giardia without symptoms, can contaminate most of the water you see on the trail.What you chose to use for making your water safe to drink is a personal preference. I know a few who use nothing. I did see a small number of people get sick with giardia¢¦no fun¢¦but I was lucky or my system of treating water with bleach worked. Common systems used-Aquamira, Filtering, Bleach, or BoilingTip- talk to south bound hikers (if you are north bound) about water sources ahead. The guide books are good but only tell you about 60% of the water sources out there. Most paths to water are marked with a blue blaze.Unfortunately the path to water is almost always down¢¦then you must carry the water back up. Working as a group, or in teams, helps¢¦alternating one person to go get water while the others mind the gear. If you want to make friends carry some extra water to the shelter, or camp, and share.Plan to carry extra water over sections where the water is a long ways off the trail or difficult to get to.Never pass water without water in your stomach.Important- You lose a lot of salt when hiking and salt helps your body absorb water. Increase your sodium intake while hiking. If you experience cramping drink a half spoon of sea salt (better then table salt) in water¢¦and then drinking more water will stop the cramps. Drinking powders that regulate your electrolytes mixed with water are excellent too.Electrolytes are- Sodium, chloride, potassium, bicarbonate, calcium, and phosphate.Drink plenty of water always.