Last year I had the pleasure of hiking in some amazing mountains on New Zealand's South Island. We were on a remote trek on the Gillespie-Rabbit Pass Traverse, touted as the most challenging guided trek in NZ.
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One of the features of this trek, apart from the mountainous terrain, was the water! There were innumerable rivers to cross as well as some pretty awesome waterfalls.
The sound of running water seemed to be ever present.
Our guide suggested hooking our mugs to the outside of our packs so we could scoop up a mouthful of clear fresh mountain water whenever we felt the need.
While this sounds like a sensible idea, it can in fact be quite a dangerous practice.
I know this because I recently came across a little book with the highly evocative title How to Shit in the Woods by Kathleen Meyer.
Despite being written almost 30 years ago its contents proved highly informative and somewhat alarming.
The book details the way microscopic cysts responsible for the parasitic disease giardiasis have become a world-wide problem, with the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA warning “no surface water in the world is guaranteed free of the giardia cysts”.
Like the evil Drop Bear, giardia is waiting to strike the unsuspecting hiker and when it does it ain't pleasant!
Think explosive diarrhoea, large volumes of foul-smelling, loose stools along with nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, headaches and fever. Chronic infection can last for years.
The message is as clear as the water you fill your mug or bottle with from some remote stream - ALWAYS TREAT YOUR WATER!
Whether on a day walk at Mount Buffalo or a multi-day pack walk on the Australian Alps Walking Track, Border Bushwalking Club members treat their water in a number of different ways.
In the past, boiling water before drinking it was the most common practice, but nowadays there are a number of alternatives available to ensure our water is safe to drink.
Some of our members use water purification tablets, others use water sterilisation pens and some carry lightweight water filters.
All these are designed to kill off the harmful giardia cysts and are readily available from most outdoor stores.
By treating your water you are protecting yourself from an insidious infection and avoiding crippling stomach cramps and embarrassingly frantic dashes into the bush.
