View Full Version : Water at Shelters
trailfinder
10-15-2004, 20:12
When water is indicated as being available at a shelter does this mean that the water is drinkable without a purifier? Thanks!:-?
When water is indicated as being available at a shelter does this mean that the water is drinkable without a purifier? Thanks!:-?This should generate a long discussion about purify or not, but basically the water at shelters is generally from streams, springs and seeps, no safer or more dangerous than water found elsewhere on the trail (except for more people nearby and thus greater chance of someone dirtying the source). If you purify water elsewhere, you will probably want to do the same with water at shelters. Especially after you see guys taking leaks between the shelter and the water source :)
orangebug
10-15-2004, 20:27
No. Water near a shelter should be your most questionable water source. Dogs, tourons, privys and such are too close to it, in general.
However, if you see that it is coming right out of the ground and that the privy is a half mile on the other side of the hill, you could take the gamble.
Lone Wolf
10-15-2004, 22:03
Some like myself drink it all. Unfiltered. Untreated. :D
Hammock Hanger
10-15-2004, 22:06
Some like myself drink it all. Unfiltered. Untreated. :D
I like LW just drink and enjoy. :jump (I have literally drank water straight from a beaver pond and had no ill effects.) Sue/HH
Lone Wolf
10-15-2004, 22:12
Very cool HH! :D
P.S. Just cuz we do it doesn't mean you should trailfinder.
orangebug
10-15-2004, 22:26
I totally agree with my colleagues, and confess that I just drink the stuff also.
grrickar
10-15-2004, 23:43
Although there is no way to tell the quality of the water, you can make some judgement calls if you do not want to filter or treat your water. If the privy is close, or the water source is closeby the shelter, then there is likely a better chance that there will be contamination. Same goes for water running across the trail.
Water that is coming directly from the source *may* be more safe to drink untreated/unfiltered. During my first section hike through the Smokies, I filtered about 40% of the time and drank from the source the other 60%. Water sources near shelters were usually filtered, while other seeps and streams at the top of mountains we generally did not.
Some people have strong feelings about this topic. You ARE taking a chance by not treating or filtering. The choice is yours as to whether or not you want to play the odds. One thing to consider, giardia and crypto are just as big a problem in large municipal water supplies.
I for one trust water coming from a stream in the mountains more so than water coming from the tap in a major metropolitan city.
TakeABreak
10-16-2004, 02:28
NO. It does not mean you can drink it, without filtering it.
I admit, I have, but as stated above you are taking a chance. I am in pursuit of a second college degree at this time, it is in environmental policy (which includes a lot of science classes), I do not believe I would drink water from very streams ever again without filtering, (because of what I have learned about, the true amount of damage we are doing to our environment) especially that along the eastern sea board (appalachian mountains) without filtration.
Although the water coming out of the side of a mountain is probably the safest fresh water to drink without filtration, there is never a garautee, that air borne contaminents did attache themselves to the water molecules in the air and permeate (seep) thru the soil still attached and coming out of the piped springs.
According to the an add in the back of the latest ATN, two environmental science people will be thru hiking the AT next year taking soil and water samples along the entire route, it will be interesting to see what they come up with.
When water is indicated as being available at a shelter does this mean that the water is drinkable without a purifier? Thanks!:-?
Many water sources near shelters have a little sign saying that the water has not been tested, and may be containated.
Whether you treat your water or not is a matter of judgement. It's also the subject of other threads here on Whiteblaze.
Flash Hand
10-17-2004, 17:32
During my 523 miles hike, I saw one lost domestic dog wanders around, went to the slow moving springs, licking direct out of it, with 4 paws in it.... I have to wave the water out for a while and filtered it out. After seeing that dog doing this, I rather filter it, or maybe purify it everytime I need water, on my next attempt to thru hike next year.
Flash Hand :jump
smokymtnsteve
10-17-2004, 17:35
Down by the spring on a Hollow Log
Shells of a crawfish, bones of a frog.
Late last night by the dark of the Moon.
Down by the spring , It was Mr. Raccoon.
It starts with an S and ends with a T!
grrickar
10-17-2004, 21:39
If we knew what was in half the water we drank, we wouldn't be drinking it. Most of us ate a fair amount of dirt as children, and the way I see it that didn't kill me and neither will drinking water without filtering it every once in awhile. I do have to wonder about someone's logic when they put the privy above where the water is collected from. Who thought that was a good idea?
orangebug
10-17-2004, 23:09
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.
TakeABreak
10-18-2004, 01:01
I do not remember seeing a privy placed above a spring on the entire AT.
But I do remember seeing a privy (in 2000) so close to a stream you could spit in it from the privy (not that I would, just a figure of speech), that was Lamberts Meadow Shelter, just south of Daleville.
I wlaked up stream to get my water there, but you could a lot of people were getting from down stream of the privy.
That is one privy that should definitely be located if it hasn't already been moved.
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.
Maybe at High Point Shelter in New Jersey? It's been a few years.
Kerosene
10-18-2004, 09:52
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.The privy at Matts Creek Shelter, just south of the James River Foot Bridge in central Virginia, seemed way too close to the stream for my liking.
Alligator
10-18-2004, 11:42
I'd be surprised if the privy at Bryant Ridge is 50' from the stream that flows right in front of the shelter. Both the shelter and the privy sit up on the bank.
grrickar
10-18-2004, 14:00
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.
Pecks Corner comes to mind. It is up the hill aways, but still up above the water source. Cable Gap Shelter used to be that way before they moved the privy down below, or so I was told by a guy who had thru hiked the entire trail.
orangebug
10-18-2004, 15:29
It was 2001 when I last visited the Pecks Corner Shelter. The privy was back near the blue blaze trail to the shelter, pretty far away from the shelter. The water source was downhill from the shelter, but again a fairly long 100 yards or so.
Maybe it has changed. I would be very surprised if they put the privy between the shelter and the water source.
tlbj6142
10-18-2004, 15:49
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.It seemed like one or two of the shelters/campsites I passed in ME (RT4 to East Flagstaff Rd) were setup like this. I don't remember the names, but I distictly remember one of them being down right stupid with regards to the layout.
Sometimes, the privy/water layout "looks" fine hiking NOBO, but isn't going SOBO.
And maybe I see a water source near a privy, but it isn't the water source for the site.
theres one in MD -the Pogo campsite that has the privy right uphill from the spring. if I take it right at the source of the spring coming out of the ground I havent had to filter in Pa or MD.
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.
Gooch Mountain Shelter. You can stand next to the privy and see the stream down the hill. Less than 10-20 feet away.
smokymtnsteve
10-18-2004, 21:09
Places like cold spring shelter and Ice water spring shelter also have campsites that are right above the spring. Long way for folks to walk to the privy.
grrickar
10-19-2004, 00:01
It was 2001 when I last visited the Pecks Corner Shelter. The privy was back near the blue blaze trail to the shelter, pretty far away from the shelter. The water source was downhill from the shelter, but again a fairly long 100 yards or so.
Maybe it has changed. I would be very surprised if they put the privy between the shelter and the water source.
No it is still uphill a good bit, and that is part of what concerned me. If a guy has to take a leak at 1am is he more likely to hike uphill to the privy, or just let it go somewhere near the shelter? The water source is down below the shelter. The privy isn't all that close to the water, but it is uphill from it, which seemed odd to me.
tlbj6142
10-19-2004, 09:30
If I remember correctly, the worst part about Pecks is that the horse posts are above the water source as well.
Not sure how often horse packers make it Pecks, but it is available to them.
The Eleven
10-22-2004, 10:29
I treat all my water in some form.....the only time I don't, is when it is coming right out of the side of the mountain, and only in a remote area. I will usually keep intake limited to a pint. (Tastes really good...like Poland Springs.) If you really look at water situation, stuff coming out of house pipes is probably just as average/bad. For sure.....always treat water in vicinities of farmlands/beaver ponds/runoffs. Happy Drinking and Trails! Steve
(Little Bear 2) CT.
tlbj6142
10-22-2004, 10:33
If a guy has to take a leak at 1am is he more likely to hike uphill to the privy, or just let it go somewhere near the shelter?Its my understanding that guys are not suppose to go in privies.
Rain Man
10-22-2004, 10:47
Gooch Mountain Shelter. You can stand next to the privy and see the stream down the hill. Less than 10-20 feet away.
??? My recollection is that the trail to the spring ran between the privy and the stream. So, the distance from the privy downhill to the stream was more than 10-20 feet, but still not the required distance IF that were the water source.
But the actual spring/water source was quite a ways laterally ahead on the blue blaze trail from the privy. Clear as mud?
Of course, my recollection could be wrong.
Rain Man
.
NICKTHEGREEK
10-22-2004, 11:25
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.Dick's Dome in Virginia.
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.
Rock Spring Hut in Shenandoah National Park.
Do you have an example of a privy placed above a water source? I haven't ever seen that.
Muskrat Creek Shelter, I think it was called. It was either in Georgia or North carolina and the privy was uphill of the stream and it was all on soggy ground. Still, I drank it without filter or chemicals and i am still here. It was the only place I wondered about while drinkimg, as I recall. The water on the AT in those states is delicious as is :)
orangebug
10-26-2004, 17:34
After reading these responses for a week, it suddenly hit me.
Water runs down hill. Of course, the privies will be above the streams if they are constructed on the same side of the hill. Having assisted with digging out a privy and seeing how deep these go and must percolate before hitting ground water, I doubt this is any real risk. I suspect that water sources for shelters are not designed to be near privies, or probably vice versa.
Bill...