QuietJourney Forums - filtering anyone?

Jun 25^th, 2026 at 4:34pm (UTC)

QuietJourney Forums › Boundary Waters / Quetico Discussion Forums › General Boundary Waters / Quetico Discussion › filtering anyone?

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filtering anyone? (Read 20008 times)

Preacher Contributer Subscriber Offline Posts: 1327 Location: COTU Joined: Apr 10^th, 2010	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #10 - Mar 26^th, 2012 at 2:30pm	Quote Print Post
	If you decide to filter, gravity is the way to go. Pumping's for chumps! I bring two methods, an MSR Gravity filter & Pristine chemical. It's about mitigating risk and the stakes are actually pretty high. You might go your whole life without any mishaps. You might get a bad case of giardia or crypto and have problems for the rest of your life.


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jjcanoeguide Inukshuk Offline Posts: 309 Location: Frisco, TX Joined: Jun 20^th, 2007	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #11 - Mar 26^th, 2012 at 6:32pm	Quote Print Post
	I never was big on filtering/treating in the Quet. until 3 of my guide friends all got girardia at the same time. Since we often go on trips lasting longer than a week, and then have a 2 day marathon drive home to get back to work, I really don't want to have the symptoms. We filter when we are too lazy to go offshore for water, or when our Polar Pure is recharging. Now that I've heard Uncle Sam has practically snuffed out Polar Pure, I'll have to figure something else out.


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azalea Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1084 Location: North Carolina Joined: Jan 13^th, 2004	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #12 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 12:16am	Quote Print Post
	Quote: So, be careful when bathing, washing your hands/face, washing dishes, etc. I have never understood this logic. Obviously, washed dishes and washing exposes a minimal amount of water to be ingested. Compare the exposure level from these activites to the exposure one has if one jumps in a lake for a swim. Clearly the swim presents a larger danger. So I can only understand be careful with washing activities only if one also avoids swimming. If one feels swimming is safe, I do not understand how one could be concerned with those other activities. I have a small gravity filter which is not of the capacity to handle a whole crew for a long trip. We mostly drink un-filtered, but it is available for situations where center lake water is not easily obtained.


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Puckster Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1208 Location: St. Paul, Minnesota Joined: Feb 10^th, 2009	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #13 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 12:21am	Quote Print Post
	For all those who experienced giardia, is it "curable?" Or, once you get it, does it come back from time to time? prouboy


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DentonDoc Moderator Inukshuk Offline Posts: 3468 Location: Central Texas Joined: Dec 27^th, 2003	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #14 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 1:35am	Quote Print Post
	azalea wrote on Mar 27^th, 2012 at 12:16am: Quote: So, be careful when bathing, washing your hands/face, washing dishes, etc. I have never understood this logic. Maybe if you'd had one of your kids spend weeks in intensive care with kidney and liver failure as a result of swimming in a lake and ingesting just a little water, it would be easier. dd


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wally Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1987 Location: Minni-soda Joined: Apr 3^rd, 2003	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #15 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 2:40am	Quote Print Post
	A small amount of Giardia infectees become colonized in their colon and experience relapse from time-to-time and usually symptoms become less severe over the years. It's easily treated with metronidazole.


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azalea Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1084 Location: North Carolina Joined: Jan 13^th, 2004	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #16 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 3:03am	Quote Print Post
	Quote: Maybe if you'd had one of your kids spend weeks in intensive care with kidney and liver failure as a result of swimming in a lake and ingesting just a little water, it would be easier. I think you misunderstood me, dd. I do understand someone who advises against using un-filtered water for washing AND against swimming; both out of fear of getting sick. What I do not understand is one who advises using un-filtered water for washing BUT is unconcerned about swimming. It seems to me the latter would pose a greater risk. (Given the millions of people who have for years swum in lakes throughout Canada and US wihout a public health concern about Giardia being raised, I have evaluated the risk from swimming as negligible but can understand how others may be more cautious.)


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Preacher Contributer Subscriber Offline Posts: 1327 Location: COTU Joined: Apr 10^th, 2010	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #17 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 1:27pm	Quote Print Post
	It's all about mitigating risk. A drop on the lips, maybe you use your teeth to pull off wet paddling gloves, vs. a gallon to drink. Somewhere in-between lies the reasonable precaution. Since we seem to have gone from just the water risk to the overall concern of these bugs, toilet practices too. I didn't use to worry. Then I learned. Now the only time I'll use hand-sanitizer (Purell) is on a camping trip. The little bottle fits perfectly in the tp tube. Especially for group trips.


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PhantomJug Voyageur Inukshuk Offline Posts: 2857 Location: 1/2 way there Joined: Feb 12^th, 2003	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #18 - Mar 27^th, 2012 at 1:49pm	Quote Print Post
	Preacher wrote on Mar 27^th, 2012 at 1:27pm: I didn't use to worry. Then I learned. Like my dad used to tell me; "Experience is the best education. However, sometimes the tuition can be mighty high."


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Rocky Inukshuk Offline Posts: 50 Location: Mpls., MN Joined: Jun 2^nd, 2010	Re: filtering anyone? Reply #19 - Mar 30^th, 2012 at 9:21pm	Quote Print Post
	Empirical Knowledge. For twenty-some years I have gone to BWCA or Quetico for one or two week-long trips every summer. I never filter my water and I have never gotten sick. If you think of the water as -having- giardia in it, not just that it -might- have giardia then, you should be really careful about any contact with contaminated water whether that contact is washing your body, washing dishes, swimming, water bottles, tubing, everything. Can a person swim in contaminated water and not get giardia as long as you don't swallow any water while swimming?


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