Have/Would/Do you drink from a standing water source/puddle?

[Ricky&Jack]

2 weeks ago for my first overnight hike, me and my husky did the approach trail. It was my fist time and I didnt know there was an App listing the water sources.

I carried enough water, but half way there, I got thirsty but thought "im really thirsty but I need to save my water if theres none near camp".

But I came across 2 puddles:
2719027191

I walked past it, but allowed my dog to drink.

Im looking into getting a filtering devise such as the sawyer mini.

Is this something you would drink from with a filter? I believe it was a puddle created by tire tracks. But it rained only 2 days before, so I dont think the water was there for long before I found it.

is filtering and drinking from a standing source like this a giant no-no?

Im not sure about the rules/recommendations on drinking from water sources.

Or are we only supposed to filter and drink from flowing water sources?

[peakbagger]

I have gotten water from a far sketchier source. One fall we hiked to a shelter in VA north of the Roller Coaster and it was totally dry. I hiked back 2.5 miles to a mud hole. I dug out a spot and let black water flow in along with a few crayfish. I dipped it out with a cup into a pot, strained it throuhg a bandana and then decanted it into another pot then let it settle and decanted it again until is was clear. I then double dosed it with aquamira and let it sit. I expect that if I had tried to filter it, it would have plugged the filter quickly unless I went through all the stages.

Realistically if you have a choice of guaranteed dehydration or possibly contaminated water, its the lesser of two evils. Lot to be said for filter and some backup aquamira.

[Kerosene]

I'd do it in an emergency, and have done it twice, but I strongly prefer other sources. As peakbagger says, dealing with the potential impact of tainted water is better than dying of dehydration...although it may not seem like it as you deal with it.

[Lyle]

If you think the puddles were created by tire tracks, then I would avoid it as a water source unless absolutely needed. Tire tracks mean roads, which generally include oils and and other contaminants.

Puddles on rocks after a rain, or natural depressions from downed trees, etc. would be more tempting. I would treat or filter any standing water as a matter of course.

[tiptoe]

Ugh. Every evening, I open up my trail info (currently using AWOLs guide, southbound version) and ballpark how far I might go the next day, and checking water sources is THE most important thing I factor in. It is unpleasant and even dangerous to run out of water while hiking, and I prefer to carry more than risk not having enough. The best, in my opinion, is a piped spring, followed by an unpiped spring, a freely flowing stream, and a pond. If at all possible, I avoid water near roads and stagnant water; puddles like the one you describe are a last resort. I always filter my water unless it comes from somebody's well, but not everyone does this.

Ridges tend to be without readily accessible water, so plan accordingly.

It also helps to confirm your choices with hikers coming from the other direction when you meet them, especially if it hasn't rained lately. Your trail guide may say that a water source is "unreliable," but a quick conversation will give you up-to-date info.

I also have a husky, a day-hiking husky. I don't let him drink out of puddles either, if there are other choices. It's also possible to have the dog carry his own drinking water, if you expect not to find a lot on the trail.

[Ricky&Jack]

oh okay. this was one of the small back roads that cross the approach trail. maybe 1 vehicle every few days, i think.

I wasnt in dire need of water. i still had about 1litre and 4 miles to my camp. But I was at the point of thinking "if I can chug 2 full glasses from this puddle, then theres no doubt the water in my pack would last me the trip".

But I was unsure, and didnt have a filter. So I figure I would take a pic and ask here, since I have never had to drink from anywhere on a trail, since that was my first overnighter.

[Lone Wolf]

i never filter or treat. i would never drink from a puddle

[RED-DOG]

I always use a Katahdan Hiker-Pro very easy to use all you have to do is put the one tub in the water and pump don't matter if it's a good flowing stream or a Puddle, when it gets hot and dry a Puddle is all you will be able to find and a filter like the Hiker-Pro makes life alot easier, a sawyer squeeze you will need to use a dipper like a bottom of a soda bottle. and i always filter my water no matter what the water source looks like. Good Luck and happy Hiking

[RED-DOG]

Yes if i am in Dire need of water i would filter from a puddle and i have many times.

[Ricky&Jack]

what about if it looks "stagnant?"

such as its only 1 inch deep. you think it hasnt rained there in 2 weeks, and you see little bugs swimming?

[Ricky&Jack]

I saw yourtube videos of the lifestraw of kids in africa using it to drink from a nasty puddle and also a video of a person using it to drink from a glass of their own pee.

So im not sure the complete "do/dont" of filters yet...... other than life threatening emergency to go for it.

[RED-DOG]

what about if it looks "stagnant?"

such as its only 1 inch deep. you think it hasnt rained there in 2 weeks, and you see little bugs swimming?
No i would consult my Trail Guide and see where the next water source or shelter ( most of the more reliable water sources along the AT is at the shelters ) is if it's within a couple of miles i would try their but if i hadn't had water in the last few hours and it's really HOT and the next source is 5 miles away then i would seriously think about it then i would probably filter it. but it all depends in what kind of shape i am in if i feel Dehydrated, if i think i can make it to the next source comfortably i would hike on.

[FarmerChef]

I think Tiptoe nailed it for me (except that I don't filter if I'm at the source and it looks clean). Puddles are a last resort. I've had to dig out a seep and filter like peakbagger and it had stuff swimming in it. But it was honestly some of the best tasting water we've ever had on the trail (John's Spring Shelter).

[Starchild]

I have on occasion, using whatever method I had at purifying.

I do hope you didn't have your dog drink directly out of it but transferred it to another water container so as to spare the next thirsty hiker from not having to drink out of a doggie water bowl.

[Ricky&Jack]

I have on occasion, using whatever method I had at purifying.

I do hope you didn't have your dog drink directly out of it but transferred it to another water container so as to spare the next thirsty hiker from not having to drink out of a doggie water bowl.


yep. that was his first official use of his collapsible water/food dish.

[Lyle]

I saw yourtube videos of the lifestraw of kids in africa using it to drink from a nasty puddle and also a video of a person using it to drink from a glass of their own pee.

So im not sure the complete "do/dont" of filters yet...... other than life threatening emergency to go for it.

It's all a matter of need. I have drunk water from really nasty cattle troughs when hiking out west. It was all the water we could find. Filtered it through a wool sock, then double treated it with iodine tablets. Was pretty nasty tasting, but it was water and no one got sick from it.

In your scenarios above, would the children have been drinking the water straight from the puddle if they didn't have the filter? If so, then this is a vast improvement. Clean water is scarce in some areas of the world. Regarding the urine. Generally if the person is healthy, the urine is close to sterile anyway, so drinking it, filtered or not, is no big deal physiologically.

The do/don't of water filters?

Always get your water from a spring if possible; after that a small, flowing stream; a lake; finally a pond with active water flow. Generally one of the aforementioned sources (in order of preference) will be available.

Try to avoid large rivers (usually have industrial and agricultural contamination due to their large drainages), stagnant or near stagnant ponds, and puddles. I've used all of these with no ill effects, but they are a last resort choice, and not for a steady diet.

Swamp areas are also usually avoided, but are often quite safe water sources, they are often just foul tasting. For example, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, much of the area is a natural cedar swamp. This water is very yellow/brown in color and often foamy. The coloration and foam is caused by the very high levels of tannin in the water that leaches out from the surrounding vegetation. This high tannin level causes the water to be fairly acidic, not conducive to most bacterial growth. Back in the days of old sailing ships, when it took months to cross the oceans, the crews would fill their water catches with this swamp water, referred to as sweet water. This was preferable to other sources because the sweet water would stay safe for drinking for a longer period of time without supporting bacterial growth.

Probably way more than you wanted to know about water... :)

[MDSection12]

In my mind, there are three levels of water quality in terms of backpacking:

1. Spring water that is clearly flowing directly out of the ground and can be collected straight from the source (as opposed to a pool below the source as is sometimes the case with springs). I do not treat water in this category.

2. Clean appearing water at elevation that has been above ground prior to my collecting. This could be the pool coming from a spring, a creek or even a pond. Being at elevation is key, because it means there should not be any human contamination above. This category I always treat, but drink happily.

3. Water that is at a low enough elevation that I cannot be certain of what contaminants are above it or appears/smells foul... Or both. I will not drink this water, even treated.

My rationale is simple; the first category is basically always going to be safe, the second category may have bacteria but my filter will eliminate it if so, the last category may have viruses (generally associated with human or livestock waste) which my filter will not eliminate.

[Coffee]

I cannot imagine being willing to drink from a puddle like the one pictured anywhere on the AT. AWOL's guide and others provide plenty of information on water sources and it wouldn't take much planning to avoid that type of situation. If it was a life or death-by-dehydration situation, then sure I would drink from that puddle but I don't see why it would ever have to come to that on the AT. Out west it might be a different story. I've read about some pretty disgusting sounding water sources on the Arizona Trail. Probably less of an issue on the PCT with the water caches.

[bangorme]

I would only drink water from that puddle if I was in danger of dying... something I've never experienced on the AT. The guides give lots of information about water, so that even if one is dry, you should have no problem getting to the next without endangering your life.

[canoe]

Not ever would I drink from something like that on the AT

[rafe]

I don't recall having to drink from a muddy puddle. But I have had to take water from small pools of rank-looking water in dried-up creek beds, and that sort of thing. Bugs on the surface don't concern me, they won't get past my filter. At Sarver Hollow shelter the "spring" had just about run dry, and what was left was a hole in the ground with about 6" of muddy water at the bottom. I filtered it through my bandana first, then through my water filter. It was fine after all that, but a lot of work.

[QHShowoman]

If I had to, I'd have no problem filtering from either of those sources.

[rocketsocks]

I took a few Quarts from a confirmed Beaver pond last year in NJ, and I was very concerned I'd get the "Beaver Fever" but came out ok...I really needed the water that day, so I didn't really have much choice. ya do what you gotta do.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Rooster Cogburn (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000078/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): "If ever I meet one of you Texas waddies who ain't drunk water from a hoofprint, I think I'll... I'll shake their hand or buy 'em a Daniel Webster cigar."


Be thankful....I was channeling Charleton Heston in my last post. At least John Wayne is an improvement! :)

[rocketsocks]

It's all a matter of need. I have drunk water from really nasty cattle troughs when hiking out west. It was all the water we could find. Filtered it through a wool sock, then double treated it with iodine tablets. Was pretty nasty tasting, but it was water and no one got sick from it.

In your scenarios above, would the children have been drinking the water straight from the puddle if they didn't have the filter? If so, then this is a vast improvement. Clean water is scarce in some areas of the world. Regarding the urine. Generally if the person is healthy, the urine is close to sterile anyway, so drinking it, filtered or not, is no big deal physiologically.

The do/don't of water filters?

Always get your water from a spring if possible; after that a small, flowing stream; a lake; finally a pond with active water flow. Generally one of the aforementioned sources (in order of preference) will be available.

Try to avoid large rivers (usually have industrial and agricultural contamination due to their large drainages), stagnant or near stagnant ponds, and puddles. I've used all of these with no ill effects, but they are a last resort choice, and not for a steady diet.

Swamp areas are also usually avoided, but are often quite safe water sources, they are often just foul tasting. For example, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, much of the area is a natural cedar swamp. This water is very yellow/brown in color and often foamy. The coloration and foam is caused by the very high levels of tannin in the water that leaches out from the surrounding vegetation. This high tannin level causes the water to be fairly acidic, not conducive to most bacterial growth. Back in the days of old sailing ships, when it took months to cross the oceans, the crews would fill their water catches with this swamp water, referred to as sweet water. This was preferable to other sources because the sweet water would stay safe for drinking for a longer period of time without supporting bacterial growth.

Probably way more than you wanted to know about water... :)not more than I wanted to know, that's interesting, thanks Lyle. Hiked there last year around the first week in June, and it was hot, 91 degrees...was drinking about 6 quarts a day, maybe more...good stuff.
27195

[rocketsocks]

Rooster Cogburn (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000078/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): "If ever I meet one of you Texas waddies who ain't drunk water from a hoofprint, I think I'll... I'll shake their hand or buy 'em a Daniel Webster cigar."


Be thankful....I was channeling Charleton Heston in my last post. At least John Wayne is an improvement! :)well I'll tell ya, that's funny little sister.

[coach lou]

Rooster Cogburn (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000078/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): "If ever I meet one of you Texas waddies who ain't drunk water from a hoofprint, I think I'll... I'll shake their hand or buy 'em a Daniel Webster cigar."


Be thankful....I was channeling Charleton Heston in my last post. At least John Wayne is an improvement! :)

Teach you beat me to it!!! But I was goin' with Labeuffes opener!

[MDSection12]

http://youtu.be/MmC1T8hge7I

[jimmyjam]

The short answer: yes, yes, yes, and yes

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Teach you beat me to it!!! But I was goin' with Labeuffes opener!

I still see lots of empty space on this thread Coach....come on ahead with it!

[rocketsocks]

waters from a puddles is fine
you drink yours and i'll drinks mines
pay no attention to that behind
he's a dog, is he your, he's not mine

[Another Kevin]

I have treated some pretty nasty water in my time. But I can hardly imagine having to do that on the A-T. The Trail has frequent reliable water sources and reliable sources of information about them. With the possible exception of the Pennsylvania Rocks in a dry summer, I can't imagine misplanning my water that badly.

Of course, I'm the type who's willing to carry an extra 1-2 litres to save me a trip off the ridge in the middle of the day. An ultralighter might be more pressed.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

When we were in central VA last sept, all the water sources for 3 shelters were completely dry. I can't imagine having to deal with that heat with no hydration.



waters from a puddles is fine
you drink yours and i'll drinks mines
pay no attention to that behind
he's a dog, is he your, he's not mine

RS - is this anything like "watch out where those huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow"?

[rocketsocks]

When we were in central VA last sept, all the water sources for 3 shelters were completely dry. I can't imagine having to deal with that heat with no hydration.




RS - is this anything like "watch out where those huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow"?
Precisely :D

[Berserker]

In theory if I were dying of thirst I would drink from that. In reality there's plenty of water on the AT, and I would just hike thirsty to the next source.

[jeffmeh]

When we were in central VA last sept, all the water sources for 3 shelters were completely dry. I can't imagine having to deal with that heat with no hydration.




RS - is this anything like "watch out where those huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow"?

Nanook Rubs It. :)

[JumpMaster Blaster]

It's all a matter of need. I have drunk water from really nasty cattle troughs when hiking out west. It was all the water we could find. Filtered it through a wool sock, then double treated it with iodine tablets. Was pretty nasty tasting, but it was water and no one got sick from it.

In your scenarios above, would the children have been drinking the water straight from the puddle if they didn't have the filter? If so, then this is a vast improvement. Clean water is scarce in some areas of the world. Regarding the urine. Generally if the person is healthy, the urine is close to sterile anyway, so drinking it, filtered or not, is no big deal physiologically.

The do/don't of water filters?

Always get your water from a spring if possible; after that a small, flowing stream; a lake; finally a pond with active water flow. Generally one of the aforementioned sources (in order of preference) will be available.

Try to avoid large rivers (usually have industrial and agricultural contamination due to their large drainages), stagnant or near stagnant ponds, and puddles. I've used all of these with no ill effects, but they are a last resort choice, and not for a steady diet.

Swamp areas are also usually avoided, but are often quite safe water sources, they are often just foul tasting. For example, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, much of the area is a natural cedar swamp. This water is very yellow/brown in color and often foamy. The coloration and foam is caused by the very high levels of tannin in the water that leaches out from the surrounding vegetation. This high tannin level causes the water to be fairly acidic, not conducive to most bacterial growth. Back in the days of old sailing ships, when it took months to cross the oceans, the crews would fill their water catches with this swamp water, referred to as sweet water. This was preferable to other sources because the sweet water would stay safe for drinking for a longer period of time without supporting bacterial growth.

Probably way more than you wanted to know about water... :)
Lyle, good on you for that info!

In my neck of Eastern NC, most creeks and ponds are HIGH in tannin. The water is the color of weak tea. My first test of my Sawyer mini was filtering this very water. I was skeptical at first, but it actually filtered the water clear.

I often pass by water sources & ask myself if I'd drink from it. As long as the large particles are strained (thru a sock, shirt, or bandana), then hit with some Aquamira, THEN run thru my Sawyer (or other system), I'd drink it. Maybe hesitantly, but I would. Just never had to (yet).

[MuddyWaters]

When you are in dire need of water, collect that nasty puddle and put it in your water bottle and keep going.

When you are to the danger point and havent come across any more water, drink it. Chances are, you probably WILL come across better water, so put off drinking it as long as you can.

[Lyle]

Excellent advice MuddyWaters. In fact, I've done this very thing on occasion, and usually end up drinking nice refreshing water gathered at a later time.

[OwenM]

Right... We use filters primarily to get rid of giardia and cryptosporidium from fecal matter. Because all that pretty flowing water potentially has animal poop, not to mention dead bodies, in it.
A puddle of rainwater is hardly a last-ditch survival scenario. Likely doesn't even need to be filtered.

[Weather-man]

Of course you can drink that water. You mentioned a filter such as a sawyer and if so, make sure your pre filter that type of water as much as possible before filtering. Even when pre filtering mud puddles you'll often clog your filter because of silt and other small debris.

My method of choice to make that type of water drinkable isn't a filter but rather good ole chlorine dioxide in double dose and making sure to follow proper procedures. This should include waiting the appropriate time before drinking and well as allowing the treated water to cleanse the threads on the bag, etc....just be careful not to re-contaminate the clean water and you'll be fine.

The funny thing is that I've seen folks pass up standing water to drink but then use rain water off of a shelter roof for drinking water without treating it..."it's pure rain water..". Yes it's pure rain water mixed with bird, raccoon, opossum, etc...urine and feces that crapped on that shelter and in the trees above it!

[MDSection12]

When you are in dire need of water, collect that nasty puddle and put it in your water bottle and keep going.

When you are to the danger point and havent come across any more water, drink it. Chances are, you probably WILL come across better water, so put off drinking it as long as you can.
Great advice, I'll keep that in mind. You could also stop and boil it later.

[Lyle]

The biggest concern with puddle water, particularly at or very near roads, is chemical contamination. Boiling/treating does not remove this, neither is filtering reliable against chemical contamination - not what these filters were designed for.

[Feral Bill]

I have used from pretty nasty stuff, usually filtered. I try to avoid it.

[stillatit]

I was in a pretty desperate water situation once with a guy part way down the Grand Canyon on the Tonto Trail. We found these little pockets of water in small depressions in the rock. It was dirty, and we had to run around to many of them to collect any substantial water, but I had a pump water filter, so we just kept sticking the intake into these little holes, doing this for hours. The filter had to be cleaned repeatedly and it took so long that we had to spend the night on the rocks there, but it gave us enough (barely) to tide us over till we got up to the spring near those old abandoned mines by Horseshoe Mesa the next day. It prob. saved our lives...

[fiddlehead]

You naysayers just haven't been desperate enough.
My worst thirst (dehydrated) experience was 1st time doing the CDT, in NM and got on the bad side of the Rio Muerto river (yeah, river of death)
It was chocolate brown, not unlike a milk shake and had white, marshmallow looking floaty things in it, that turned out to be rock salt.
I was so thirsty and dehydrated I wanted to drink it but, my buddy wouldn't let me.
So, then we found a windmill, but it was not running.
Searched around and found a small, removable metal plate that had a valve inside.
There were about 4 or 5 cups of water in there, but 6 dead mice floating in them.
AGain, I wanted to drink, but my buddy wouldn't let me.
We survived, but I think I would have drank either one, had I been alone.
Probably would have ended up in the hospital though.
Better than dead.
A mud puddle, left over from a rain would have been like a cold litre from 7-11!

[handlebar]

Also on the CDT, I once was disappointed that a water source at a windmill was dry. Shortly I came to the road to Reserve NM (about a 20 mile hitch) but I didn't want to try to hitch since in 1/2 hour there were no cars in either direction on this paved state highway. Desperate, I continued up the trail which was routed on a two-track dirt road. Just after the highway I crossed a cattle guard and looking down noticed a fairly deep, clear puddle. You bet I filtered from that puddle!

[MuddyWaters]

I drank water from a shallow puddle with polywogs in it. If it wasnt killing them, I figured it wouldnt kill me either.

[rocketsocks]

I drank water from a shallow puddle with polywogs in it. If it wasnt killing them, I figured it wouldnt kill me either.
~said Muddy Waters :)