Yup. I've realized this for quite some time. I remember reading about a study done on people exiting the AT. They asked about if they got sick and what kind of water treatment they used and a bevy of other questions. They found no correlation between water treatment (including not treating) and if people got sick. They did find strong correlation between cleanliness techniques and if people got sick.
I still treat, because it is lightweight and I don't want giardia but I no longer worry about a backup water treatment technique. That is what I worry about in the hullabaloo people make about water treatment: it leaves people, particularly people without much experience feeling that backcountry water dangerous. If they find themselves lost or injured they may be hesitant to properly hydrate which can make a bad situation worse.
I love the articles concluding remark:
If the real danger comes from eating after a trip to the cathole, then that’s the point that should be emphasized—not an unsubstantiated view of all water in the mountains as suspect. In all likelihood, it’s not the water that’s gross. It’s you.
Previous Topic
Index
