Drinking Lake Water Unfiltered?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- I DO NOT recommend that anyone drink lake water unfiltered.
Staying well hydrated in the heat and when working hard in the bush is critically important, especially when traveling solo in remote back-country. I show drinking the water straight, unfiltered, from the open area of a pristine lake in the northern Ontario boreal zone. I have been drinking the water unfiltered from lakes for over 40 years without a single incident of being sick - BUT I pick my locations very carefully. This is a totally natural watershed with no agriculture, no industry, no cottage development or outhouses or septic systems. This is as natural as it gets and the water is very clean in the aerated open water - but it still contains live organisms, animals live in the water, so there is risk. One of my most valued experiences in back-country travel and living is being able to drink the water straight from the lake, unfiltered, as our ancestors have always done.
In the video I show the area of the lake I drink the water from unfiltered (which involves risk), and areas of the lake where I use a filter or boil the water. I also state that each person is different, and one's gut flora can become adapted to local conditions, and other people may get sick drinking the same water in an area they are not adapted to (as international travelers well know). I DO NOT recommend that anyone drink lake water unfiltered. I do this at my own risk. But after 40 years I have a consistent record of successful adaptation and no illness.
If you liked this video, please hit the "Like" button, and please consider Subscribing and sharing, and click the bell for future notifications, thank you!
I protect myself by drinking water from a can with barley, yeast, and hops added for good health. Great video as always. Marlowe.
Hi Marlowe! I also find that mix to be healthy! With portaging, I find I can't carry all those cans, as its hard enough for my aging body to carry my canoe and gear, and dang camera gear. I bring a few drams of whiskey to make up for it. :-)
I have done this a lot in Sweden and Finland without problems. I liked the graphics of the lake :) I also use the same paddle stroke technique as you I can see.
Hi Lars! I am guessing the back country lakes and rivers in boreal Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Siberia would be very similar to mine here. Lots and lots of very clean drinkable water, and so good to guzzle down. In the old days here, before plastic water bottles and water filters were all the rage, canoe trippers (including me back in the day), used to attach a tin or plastic dipping cup to belt or pack, and simply dip a cup in the water to have a drink whenever we wanted out on the open water, or from clean clear rivers, unfiltered.
I imagine the wild waters of Finland and and Sweden being much safer and cleaner to drink honestly.
@@Wintertrekker him doing this after I bath in it me 😐😐😐👨🏻🦳😐😐😐😅😅
I do it from Lake Ontario, right by the Nuclear power plant.
😂😂😂😂😂
I guess you're going to become Spider-Man now
I drink water that I probably should not but my theory is that If I’m used to the bacteria if I ever get lost I could drink the water without getting sick I’m 22 years old and only had the flue once I also live on a farm that cows shit in the creeks some say I should be careful of e. Coli but in actual fact only about 10-2 percent of cows have it not too concerned
Good advice! I've taken many trips down the Albany, Otoskwin, Pipestone and other rivers in northern Ontario. We've always done what you have suggested, and neither I nor any of my partners have had a problem. I'm pleased to hear you say that the best way to store water is in you stomach! That is absolutely true. Going solo, I'll always fill my containers well offshore before heading in to camp. When traveling with a small group, we treat fetching water as another camp chore. Some folks collect firewood, some tidy the mutual parts of the outfit, and I like to volunteer for the water run! Thanks for another great video!
Good video and good advice as always my friend. You understand the dynamics of watershed that you are traveling in and explained it extremely well. As always thank you for posting.
Thanks Lawrence!
Thanks Hoop for clearing up some apparent misunderstanding on this somewhat controversial subject . Nice to know that there are still some places left in North America where the water is safe to drink unfiltered . Can't say enough about this excellent channel . By the way , the Canadian flag graphics on your paddle look great . All the best .
Thanks NWR! I wanted viewers to know that there are vast areas of northern Canada where the water is as clean as it gets, pre-industrial / pre-agricultural condition, and that it is one of the great pleasures of back country travel to drink the water. Imagine a future where humans can never drink the water like our ancestors did for thousands of years. Sadly most humans on earth now have no clean water sources, and all are dependent on boiling or chemical treatment. But in northern Canada we still have that resource to enjoy! The Canadian flag symbol I hand drew, no stencil. :-)
And that's how it's done in many places around the world and back before Bottled water. That is why it's important to keep our lakes and water ways clean 👍
I'm 66 and been drinking unfiltered water, from mountain streams here in the Southeast, since I was in Boy Scouts. Never been sick. Its all about carefully selecting the water source, the more remote and the smaller the source the better. That said, I do carry a filter for the times when I would be suspicious of possible contaminated water.
Hi MrWinger1951! You said it perfectly! :-)
*Me filling up my water bottle from a garden hose faucet, not even a hose on it, House has artesian well* my boss said "your not gonna drink that are you? Me: "YOU ARE SMOKING A CIGARETTE!" We both laughed.
Hi LFD! Good story! :-) I do not trust my garden hose either, but I do trust the open water on back country lakes! :-)
Good vid, I routinely drink from fast running water sources but never thought about the deep
Thanks CP! The deep open lake area on Shield lakes (shallow coarse soils, clear water, low to no suspended solids), is often a high confidence drinking source, because most/all of the suspended solids have dropped out of the water column, and the clarity can be seen easily by the naked eye. There are still bacteria, viruses and protozoans present as in all natural water sources, and still some visible algal colonies visible as little floating specs, but all of these can be easily digested by us. In northern Canada we don't have the parasite and disease issues like in the tropics and further south. Avoid cottages, septics, urban and agricultural runnoff, and many clear water lakes are safe to drink from our in the open water. Lakes and rivers that flow through fine textured soils (silt and clay) have visible suspended solids that make the water look cloudy or like chocolate milk, and all those suspended particles might have nasty organism's attached to the particles. So suspended solids are to be avoided.
@@WintertrekkerNice to see someone talking sense about not needing to filter water. 💦
I however go a step further and drink unfiltered water direct from streams, rivers and lakes, not only from the deep center but also the edges. I've been doing this for 65-years across 100 different countries without a problem.
I think you touched on the most important aspect of allowing your own gut bacteria to become accustomed and balanced to each country or region. You can only do this by drinking unfiltered and unpurified water, as well as eating local food products.
Once again you've shown me a good alternative should the occasion arise. Thanks Brian 78
Thanks Brian! I stated all the disclaimers, but only to encourage people to do their own research and make up their own minds. For me and many people I have traveled with over the years, dipping a cup or water bottle into the lake and drinking one's fill, is perfectly natural. I never once saw a person get sick, and I have never been sick, (but I pick my spots of course). I have seen heat exhaustion and dehydration sickness, because people were not drinking enough water all day long. Staying super-hydrated out in the sun and heat, and in winter too when working hard, is really important.
thanks for the graphics and detail on this issue. Cheers!
Thanks Philip!
What happens if you drink lake Erie water? 🤔
Pretty safe to drink from many watersheds here in Norway, but if you ever visit my country you'd be surprised where a cottage (or several) will appear even though a lake might look pristine. You got to know the area before drinking directly of it.
Hi TNO! You are correct. In fact most of our larger lakes here have cabins, lodges, whether roaded, or fly-in. I have been in remote boreal, sub-arctic and arctic regions, and I paddle by established cabins and lodges everywhere. (The lake I was on was small, out of the way, and had no cabins). Canada is vast with thousands of lakes, but very few big lakes escape some sort of development. I try not to camp or drink water nearby to these establishments. Even our big canoeing parks have pre-established ldoges and fly-in fishing cabins with motor boats. Often they have local bear problems too, due to the fishermen who clean their catches at their cabins, and have steak and fish BBQ's, fried bacon, and all sorts of food smells that attract the bears. I don't want to be camping anywhere close to those places. :-)
Been watching and loving your videos for years...just wondering what you have wrapped on the throat of your paddle? (the "why" is obvious, but what is it? Looks like caning, but that seems unlikely... :)
Hi Rob! That is climbing accessory cord (kernmantle type), wrapped very tight using a whipping method. I also varnished it with spar varnish so it has a hard finish that protects the cord from fraying. I used Mammut 3mm, but its actually a small 3mm, more like about 2.5mm.
Wintertrekker , thanks so much for your speedy response! Keep your awesome vids coming!
Ps where do you live and can you suggest any good backcountry spots near(ish) to Toronto? :)
Hi Rob! I live in northwestern Ontario. That is 18-20 hours drive from Toronto area, so I do not know your area. I know that Algonquin Park has some very fine back-country areas. Also I recommend you watch a TH-camr called PineMartyn, who posted a how-to series on using online resources to find reasonable backcountry areas that is public land where few people go, in central southern Ontario not far from you. Link here: Part 1: th-cam.com/video/SHOVMz_FmFA/w-d-xo.html Part 2: th-cam.com/video/snbMdL0ZK1M/w-d-xo.html
I drank from a natural spring that ran into a lake out hunting yesterday and was curious to see if anyone drinks straight from the lakes. Thanks for the video!
Always enjoy your videos. Hope your summer is treating you well!
Thanks Tom!
I too have been drinking "pristine" lake water in northern Ontario for over 40 years and have never had an incident. Great advice as usual Hoop!
Hi Dave! I was very (overly) cautious with all my disclaimers, so as not to be criticized for encouraging people to drink unfiltered water when there are so many factors to be considered. But folks like you know what its really like out there, and its wonderful to be drinking our clean waters just like our ancestors did. Drinking the clean water straight from the lake whenever we want when out paddling, is just one of life's pure pleasures. Staying hydrated all day in the heat is really important. Drinking the water straight, and living by fire are two of the reasons I canoe trip. ;-)
Good for you! I have been drinking water from Lakes in the bush my entire life . I'm 66 years old.
Thank you Clifford! The new age version of paddling literature would have us believe that the cleanest fresh water in the world, in completely natural watersheds, is unsafe to drink. ;-) Folks of our age class (I am close to 58) might be the last to be drinking the water directly from the lake, as the young folks have been indoctrinated to never drink the water. Fresh drinkable water is one of our best indicators of ecosystem health. :-)
Great vid! Thanks for sharing!
Stay blessed
Thanks BCB!
I find that filters tend to get clogged at inconvenient times.... like way out in the bush. I started using iodine tablets with neutralizers and it works great.A lot lighter than filters too- excellent for backpacking
Hi Andy! I have never used iodine or other treatment tablets, but I know they can work well when used as directed. I understand that water temperature and contact time is crucial to achieve the treatment, and the colder the water, the longer the time needed. Canoe tripping in the north, literally traveling on water, its fairly easy to find clean water to drink untreated. But backpacking can be tough to find clean water, depending on the route, so having a light filter or treatment option is really important.
I tried this back country camping in Algonquin park from the middle of one of bigger lakes there called North Tea. I was fine. Though I usually use a filtering bag.
What is your opinion on inflatable kayaks? I am thinking of a Sea Eagle Razor and will be in and around the same area you enjoy.
If you damage it out there be prepared for the walk of your life.
When was ice fishing before I drank the fresh cold water
That’s fine I think
I just can't get over how peaceful and beautiful all of those areas in your territory are. And, in my neck of the woods if we were to drink the local river/pond/small lake water we would be dead pilgrims. Heck, our local municipal (town) water is absolutely horrible with chemicals. No doubt that man has almost poisoned himself off of the planet. So sad. Thanks so much for the lesson ……….. and the view!! :-) Greg
Gregory Edwards,Maybe we should go back to the old time ways and quite protecting all the idiots with all our stupid laws and restrictions. Another words give us our freedom back . Common sense tells you what is safe. Then let the idiots kill themselves. It appears to me that the population would soon be cut by 2/3 rds.?
Thank you Greg! In the city here I drink and breathe in chemicals every day. So I am very lucky to be able to canoe trip in these true back-country watersheds with pristine waters. I wish I could get out there more. This lake water is as clean as it gets, out from shore. While it does still contain bacteria, viruses, and protozoans and plankton swimming it it, those are relatively dilute out in the open water. As mammals, we can digest this stuff, and here we don't have the tropical diseases and parasites that other places on the planet suffer from (long cold winters are good!). The untreated, unfiltered water is delicious! Drinking the water straight from the lake, and living by fire, are reasons why I like to canoe trip.
Nice video. Out of curiosity is that a g-shock watch you are wearing?
Thanks PerseP! No not G-shock. Its a Timex Expedition. Nothing fancy, about $60.
Great info! Would you apply this method in Algonquin park?
Hi Mike! Many years ago when I lived in southern Ontario, I canoed in Algonquin many times, usually starting from the west side, and I drank the water from the lakes on those routes. There are few cabins in that area so no significant septic runnoff. But Algonquin also has those cottage lakes off the HWY 60 corridor, with all their septic systems leaking into the lakes, and these have motor boats and gas and oil leaks from outboard motors, so personally I would not want to drink unflitered from those cottage developed lakes.
Wintertrekker thank you! Super informative as always. Thanks for always openly sharing your insight. You are such an asset for many. 😊👍👍
When I was a kid I drank water from the occasional stream or spring without ever getting sick. Something just instinctually told me it was safe 🤷
When I was a kid I seen my uncle and my dad drank steam water but I think the spit it out but I did drink it and little bit but I had got sick and made my stomach hurts
Some of the water looks so good its too tempting not to!!
Hi OH! The water does taste good!
Thank you for sharing. Love ur vids
Thank you Jahmin!
I think the water issue is overblown up here! As long as you're out in the middle of a bigger lake and there's running stream in and out of the lake you should be fine! It's still a bit of a risk but not enough to worry about in my opinion! I bring a Be Free bag/filter and pills for trips in swampy areas!
Hi OR! Yes agreed! The water filter companies have been very successful in the marketing. ;-) I bring a Platypus gravity filter with me now for the swampy and shallow shoreline campsites where the suspended solids and "swimmers" (zooplankton) are visible. But out in the open clear water I guzzle the water straight all day and stay nicely hydrated.
I always just make sure I drink a whole lot before setting out, and I always fill my bottle before leaving so I never ever have to take that chance. The last thing I want is to get sick out there, ending my trip early and unpleasantly. My paddling partner takes that chance and drinks from the lake directly. I just hope I never have to carry his ass out.
Might try lake water instead of tap water which sometimes have chemical taste. Can't be very healthy in the long run.
So typed this question into google, but then stopped myself and copy/pasted it into youtube instead. Because I just knew there's be some grizzled old master that's been at it for 300 years already. I'm from Scottland and I've never had issues drinking from streams.
You crazy Canadians... lol
You've been doing it for my life time, clean water up there. Thanks for sharing, take care.
Thanks RW&B78! We are lucky with our granitic Canadian Shield hunk of rock that underlies all of these lakes: not enough nutrients for agriculture, too cold for agriculture, and therefore very clean natural runnoff, very few to no suspended solids, clean clear water. All the fish and critters still live in and poo in it, but the power of dilution and aeration on the surface works wonders. :-)
They have natural river drinking spots in Prague, right outah the ground
Very well explained my friend ! Paddle on,Crag
Thanks again Cragdwella!
Otherwise known as heaven on earth
Hi Michael! Yes,....except for the mosquitoes. :-) So far the bears have given me a free pass. :-)
We live too clean nowadays...could be one of the reasons why we have so many digestion issues? As a kid I lived outside except to sleep in my bed at night...drinking from streams and playing in the dirt and me and my dogs traipsing all over the place.
You have that right 2TU! Most humans need to develop both their immune system, and their gut flora system, by being exposed to the real world of antigens and bacteria/viruses/protozoans. Drinking only purified chlorinated water all ones's life will leave a person more susceptible to an upset gut because they never developed a gut flora adapted to their environment.
Just got back from Killarney Provincial Park and have been scooping the water from the deep parts of the lake all weekend. Friends say I'm nuts but there's nothing better imo
Hmm I mean the georgian bay has its dirty areas. I'd be careful if I were you where I was getting that water from. Theres a dense amount of cottages in that area.
I assume that relatively still water over deep water would be purified by the UV light from the sun. Although I have a feat of giardia . In Michigan streams it is a real threat.
I thought it was strange when I read in the diary of one of the Pilgrims, that in 1622 the local Indians here in Massachusetts only drank from springs, never from a river or pond. (Mourts Relation, p. 27.)
Hi Michael. Local conditions need to be understood. For example, I would never drink from a beaver pond, nor an outflow from a beaver pond. But I will drink from a lake that has beaver ponds flowing into it (all lakes have that here), plus other sources that dilute any pathogens. Also all inflows are fed upon by plankton which do a very good job at filtering the water. Suspended sediments also have time to drop out of suspension before they reach the open water of the lake, sometimes. Its all about context. In that specific case you mention (which I am not aware of), I am guessing there was local context knowledge on the better and poorer places to drink water. I use similar screening criteria from what I know of the landscape I travel. I was extra cautious in the disclaimers that I posted in text, but its actually fairly easy to make a reasonable call on where its safe to drink unfiltered, and where its not. When in doubt, filter/boil/treat.
I have learned to know you Hoop - in all your video,s and publications - as a very sensible man. And I learned a lot from you. So I am a bit confused here. What,s your point of the video ? You say it,s not recommendable, there is still a risk and most of the time you filter or boil your water anyway....
Hi Gapahuk! Much of the human populated world no longer has safe un-polluted natural drinking water. But northern Canada does have this clean drinkable water, and its an indicator of true back-country (some call true 'wilderness") that is a critically importnat value for me to be in, and conserve for future generations. We are steadily losing this condition across the world, and drinking water is a key indicator. When I am out in the canoe I always drink straight form the deep open lake (if its not shallow or weedy). Its only when I do not have a deepwater shore campsite, i.e. the campsite shore is shallow, weedy, or I can see "swimmers" (macro zooplankton such as Daphnia crustaceans), or suspended material, that I filter or boil. I will drink water unfiltered from shores of rock that drop off steeply into deep water that is well aerated, not weedy, and do a visual check too on suspended material density. The main point of the video is that for many northerners, its normal for people to drink from the lake without modern high tech filters, just like their ancestors did, but all the advertising media and modern camping literature will impress upon people that drinking water unfiltered is not normal, or should "never" be done. I wanted people to know that there are places in the world where drinking unfiltered is normal. The canoe camp I went to as a child took us out into back-country lakes and rivers, and we drank straight from the lakes all the time, and this was not only normal, but goes back in tradition of all the classic canoe camps. Drinking from the paddle (hold the paddle on an angle above your head and let the water flow into your mouth) was a canoe tripping tradition. I want people to know that it is possible (with the all the caveats) to drink the water in some areas. The disclaimer is because I want people to make up their own minds and not take this lightly, and people who are not knowledgeable about the waters and hazards, should err on the side of caution. I don't want people just to imitate me, but instead I want them to think their way through to what they want to do. Northern Canadian waters in undeveloped watersheds are generally very clean and safe for people with adapted guts to drink from. But in many other areas of the world, the water is not safe to drink for travelers, and I have viewers who live in those unsafe watersheds, so its a catch-all to make sure everyone does not think this is safe to do everywhere. Most people live in watersheds of urban or agricultural runnoff (for example about 80% of Canadians live in urban areas, and most of the rest live in agricultural areas where runnoff is polluted). So I wanted to have the disclaimer front and center, just in case the specific landscape context was missed by the viewer. There are many places that are safe to drink, but people need to do their research first, e.g. is there a community upstream that discharges sewage? Many watersheds in the world are not like the Canadian Shield with generally coarse, shallow soil and Precambrian rock, where the lake and river water is clear with very little suspended solids. Suspended solids carry bacteria and viruses stuck on to the particles, as do floating algae. Many watersheds of the world are in deeper finer textured soil areas (silt and clay), and have high suspended solids, or high nutrient loads that support high densities of floating algae that carry high bacteria loads (which is not the case where I was). On satellite imagery you can see the "chocolate milk" colour of water from these watersheds.
Thank you very much for your elaborate answer Hoop ! All the disclaimers just did make it confusing for me. And were not necessary in my opinion. Your viewers already make up their own minds, I am sure. Nobody will asume that your 'drinking habit'... ;) is safe everywhere in the world. You made it clear to me that it is in your area pretty safe and common to do it this way and that you cherish it because it is part of your 'wilderness experience'. Or 'culture' you may say. I can totally relate to that.
Greetings from the Netherlands !
40 years ago I was canoe racing on several of the waterways in Adirondack Mountains to save weight in the boat we tied a plastic mug to a thwart and drank out of the streems and lakes that were not too heavily populated. not long after those days word was out that there were giaguardia throuout the Adirondacks. Beaver fever comes from that.
Hi Dan! Back in the day, it was normal for canoe trippers to carry a dipper or mug on the outside of a pack, or clipped onto their belt, for a dip and drink along the way in clean, open water that is well aerated. I still think that in most backcountry lakes this is safe practice. But the marketing for water filters is powerful. I now carry a water filter for shoreline water consumption, as per my diagram in the video, when in the past I never used a water filter, even by shore. Giardia is often overblown as a threat, since its always been there, and is independent of whether or not beavers live in a watershed (they live is all watersheds where I paddle). Beavers are not the cause of Giardia, as its a naturally occurring protozoan. Most people on canoe trips who get sick, get sick from fecal coliform bacteria transmission between people, e.g. people reaching into a communal GORP bag with unclean hands, and transmitting fecal coliform because they did not wash there hands. GORP is best not shared, or if shared, it should be poured out, not reached into. Some people get into bad hygiene practices when out in the bush (not washing their hands after number 1 or 2), which I have observed of people when I used to travel with people more (now I canoe trip solo). Washing hands, and safe food handling practices are really critical to staying healthy in the bush. :-)
Nice I just piped a spring the other day with a japanese knotweed plant that I hollowed out
Thanks Wt, some good advice there :-)
Thanks TT!
I drank lake water last week for $20 this has been the worst week because of the horrible stomach ache I caught from drinking it
Hi Luke, sorry to hear about that. You need to pick your areas carefully, and only use the most well oxygenated and clear waters for drinking, and in watersheds without urban or agricultural areas upstream. And I don't recommend drinking the water unfiltered for any beginners who have not developed gut flora balance for the local waters. I have spent most of my life drinking the water in the lakes I travel, so I like to think I have an established immunity. I am however taking a risk. That said, I woudl never drink the water in foreign lands because the microorganisms and parasites there would be new to my system and would overwhelm my gut, and I would likely get sick.
i had to drink water from a river during 3 days cause i had no other source of water, it was the most delicious water i ever had, nothing happened thank God
I just use a LifeStraw or a Sawyer Mini just to be on the safe side but they still preserve the delicious flavors of the lake you're drinking from LOL
I have got water from a stream but from a lake never and California has some clear lakes.
Hi SM! Check out the watersheds where you travel. If there is no agricultural runnoff, and no urban runnoff, and low to no runnoff from cottages and leaky septics or outhouses, then you may have safe drinkable water. I also drink very "clear" water that has no suspended solids. If there are suspended clays and silts in the water, then I filter/boil. That lake water I was drinking is from a watershed of generally coarse soils where there are virtually no suspended solids once the water has time to drift into the open and the few SS's drop out of suspension. The water looks black and clear in the lake, totally transparent.
Survival Mindset: Clear has nothing to do with clean.
Good advice
Thanks again Abe!
I would do this especially where ya dipped it from, Thanks Hoop Happy Paddling ATB T God Bless
Thanks Terry! Once one gets some knowledge of the local watersheds one is traveling on, the safety of drinking water becomes relatively easy to figure out. ;-) I already had doubters tell me I was going to get sick. Been doing this for over 40 years, never sick, not once, but the doubters won't believe us. :-)
Did that once in the wilderness of missinabi and suffered from beaver fever for two weeks. Almost ended up in the hospital. This is poor advice.
I've left cooked meat out overnight into the day and eaten it just fine many times so I could probably handle this water lol thanks for the tip!
What? That’s not even relevant?
Lol I’ve drank lake water all my life. Maybe it’s just from growing up in the north and having an inidian hertiage, I’ve never gotten sick from it.
Hi Bobby! I have also never been sick from drinking the water from the open water of clean lakes, well away from towns and camps/cottages. Its just so normal for folks in the north, when out on these open clean waters, to drink the clean water dipped directly from the lake. None of the canoe camping how-to literature will recommend this, in a "one size fits all" approach. But I just wanted show that there are places in the north where we do just fine drinking our northern lake water. :-)
I had a bad run in with lake water over 20 years ago...since then I filter my water. My gut flora really wasn't up to the task, haha.
I mean, Canadian lakes are healthy. Those in Alaska also probably.
I’ve drunk water from the middle of Lake Michigan with no issues.
Nice J!!!!!
Thanks William!
Bud, have you ever looked at lake water samples through a microscope. You might be unpleasantly surprised.
But, but, fish function in that water! There is no chlorine or chemical taste to it. How can you stand drinking it? :)
Hahaha! Hi Redlock! Ya, not only the fish, but beavers, mink, muskrat, otters, ducks, geese, loons, and moose all poo in that water! Gasp, what have I been doing?! ;-)
Greetings from beaver fever
Hi AH! After 40 years of canoe tripping and drinking the water, I have never been sick, not once. Doesn't mean the next time it won't happen. But odds are when you know the watersheds you are traveling through, and know where the cleanest water is in waterbodies, and understand the power of dilution, and settling time for suspended solids in open water, and concepts of aeration, you have very good odds in your favor. where I travel, drinking the water from the lakes and rivers is one of life's great pleasures. It tastes very different from city water with chlorine in it.
Hey, it's NOT winter, and you're trekking...
Uh oh! ;-) Its so hot here now I am almost melting in the heat, and don't want to go outside. I am wishing winter gets here fast!
Great video, I've been following your channel for a very long time and never miss any of your videos.
I'd just like to say Thanks for this video as I've also been drinking the back country waters here in Manitoba...maybe not for as many years as you have but...it's can be done safely provided you have understanding of simple biology...and you have provided a good demonstration here.
assiniboine
You mean you don't drink water from around the beaver hut?.!! Just foolin'. It's the people that drink bottled water from disposable plastic bottles that make me laugh. Their kidneys will make them pay one day. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Mushercdn! I avoid the commercial plastic bottled water whenever I can. The water even tastes plasticy out of those things, and the new studies show plastic micro-particles are in it! I do love the clean taste of that open lake water!