Am I going to die?

[le loupe]

Just came back from a section near Bear Mtn. NY- Water was extremely scarce. I really didnt get enough and drank from nearly every fetid little muddy trickle.

What's up with that stream on the north side (near the road) of St. Anthony's note? I assume it is just an iron rich stream- but anybody have any more info?

I'm losing stren..g......

[WalkingStick75]

I don't know anything about that stream but I have taken water out of some pretty scary streams before..... yea, I'm still walking n talking and some of these were before we had water filters.

[4eyedbuzzard]

You are going to die...eventually.

[10-K]

I was hiking in Maine this summer and filled my water bottle from what looked like a fast flowing stream. Chugged about half liter and thought to myself, "This is pretty warm for stream water.".

I walked on up the trail and in a minute or so I found out I was drinking water draining from a beaver pond. Since I wasn't treating my water I was sure I was going to die too.

[le loupe]

found a reference to this stream on another website- one of interesting mineral collection sites. Apparently there are lots of iron ore tailings above this area.

I was pretty sure it was just iron- the water had an iron-y taste but still less than some peoples houses. Just got to thinking about what kind of bacteria might like an iron rich environment.

I am pretty sick, however it's primarily a head cold. I blame it on the physical exertion and dehyrdation making me vulnerale. I find out my kids were sick with runny noses while I was gone- maybe they exposed me just before i left.

[Feral Bill]

[QUOTE= I find out my kids were sick with runny noses while I was gone- maybe they exposed me just before i left.[/QUOTE]

Just like kids to do that

[Sierra Echo]

If you do die, maybe you could go lay in the bath tub and do it. That strikes me as an easy to clean place!

[JAK]

I thought I read somewhere that if you get an infection, iron will make it spread faster.
Anyhow, I wouldn't worry too much, because I'm not the one that's sick.

Seriously though, hope you get well soon.

[Rain Man]

You are going to die...eventually.

Beat me to it!

RainMan

.

[johnnybgood]

Anyhow, I wouldn't worry too much, because I'm not the one that's sick.

Who says ?

[Luddite]

Are there any paper mills around that area?

I heard this story about a guy who drank some water from the Pigeon River in TN and he went cross-eyed. No joke.

[Erin]

Our filtered water in Minnesota looked liked Bloody Pond at Shiloh Civil War site. It was brown. But it smelled and tasted fine. Two weeks. No giardia yet.

[Plodderman]

Probably but at least you went hiking.

[Nean]

Kinda makes you wonder how humans made it thousands of years...

[wrongway_08]

Your good as dead. Might have 3 days at most.

Send me all your hiking gear now - before you die, so it doesnt go to waste. I'm not going to pay you postage either - I'm cheap and you''ll be dead before repayment reaches you - so it'll be a waste anyways.

Now, go mail your gear to me.

Damn it, hurry up ..... if you die before mailing my* hiking gear .... I'll be pissed!!!

*may as well call it mine - your about to die.

Stop wasting time reading my crap and run to the post office ..... damn, you don't listen at all!!!!

[sixhusbands]

The smart thing was that you did drink the only water available. If you had not drank the water then there would have been the possibility that you would have had more severe problems with dehydration ( which will be fatal if water is not consumed) . This way you may get sick but you are off the trail and can get medical attention. When it comes down to no water or tainted water, survival experts will tell you to drink ....rather than die!

[JAK]

I'm not sure if there was neccessarily anything in the water that made him sick. I'm wondering if the iron just made some bacterial infection worse. Can iron do that? I thought it could. I think one way we fight infection is we try and hide all the iron in our bodies when unwanted bacteria show up. So if we drink alot of iron while fighting off a bacteria infection, we might get really sick. Of course if there is also bacteria in the hard water also, along with the iron, that would be a double whammy. If we boil the water we kill the bacteria but still get the iron, so maybe if we have alot of bacteria from some other source, the iron can make things worse by providing iron for the bacteria to multiply faster.

SOOO. Anyone know if we should generally avoid high iron water when hiking?

[le loupe]

SOOO. Anyone know if we should generally avoid high iron water when hiking?

Another type of bacteria, referred to as iron bacteria, is a major nuisance in many well water supplies. (Iron bacteria should not be confused with iron dissolved in water that causes red water and stains on clothing and plumbing fixtures.) This naturally occurring bacteria does not cause disease, but does form a reddish-brown slime that coats the inside of pipes, fouls pumps and clogs waterers.

http://extension.missouri.edu/public...b.aspx?P=WQ102

I'm still alive and therefore will be keeping my gear.

When i got back to work at least two other people were ill with similar symptoms. It would seem fatigue and dehydration brought things on faster for me.

[sbhikes]

You should always drink the water if there's a chance of serious dehydration. They can treat an infection. They still haven't come up with a treatment for death.

By the way, dying isn't all that bad. I mean, you really don't want to live forever. The chances of getting stuck in something, like a well or a mine shaft or the bottom of the sea, is statistically very possible if you live forever, and then you'll be stuck there forever, lonely and hungry.

[sheepdog]

Kinda makes you wonder how humans made it thousands of years...

they were old in their 40's and about half of them died before the age of 1