Water on JMT

[Megapixel]

Will i be in good shape on my JMT thru taking along a steripen with prefilter/nag bottle or should i bring along my katadyn filter? thanks in advance for the help. I've never backpacked out west before.

[wandering_bob]

You'll do fine with that.

[Miner]

Depends on you. Some people don't treat at all on the JMT though I've seen enough horse/mule trains pooping in some of the fords to be that daring, though I often don't bother near the tops of the high passes. In general the water along the JMT is pretty good stuff. Pretty clear and clean though with some sandy sedement during the big spring runoff (not enough to color the water though so its more an issue for your filter clogging).

Steripen would be fine as are chemicals like Aqua Mira.

[Rambler]

Water sources are plentiful along the trail. When I reached one, I used the Steripen to treat a liter in my cooking pot, drank it on the spot and moved on without carrying any water. Repeat the process. At camp I drank using the same method, but also treated 3 liters with chemicals which I then used for dinner and breakfast. Water was so clear I never used a pre-filter.
If you are sending a resupply, include a spare battery. You won't find one at any of the outfitters Red Meadows VVR or, Muir Trail Ranch. (I hiked in mid August) No bugs!

[Dogwood]

Clear(no to very little sediment, maybe some dissolved sand during Spring, in Aug not necessary to filter for sediment) water is regulary encountered at closely spaced water sources. Treat it for parasites if you want.

BTW, off the top of my head, I have treated Sierra water w/ AM less than1/2 dozen times on close to 10 different hikes in the Sierras. No problems!

Now I'm thinking about the cold clean clear river, stream, and tarn water of the Sierras. That nasty chlorine laced tap water is no comparison!

[Helmuth.Fishmonger]

I never filter. humbug. Hiked up there for 12 summers. Wash your hands if you eat in groups. Personal hygiene is the #1 reason for people getting sick up there, not the water.

if you have the patience, read this

http://www.ridgenet.net/~rockwell/Giardia.pdf

and you'll probably figure out that Rangers will tell you to use the filter because they don't want to be sued, vendors will tell you to use it because they want to sell it, manufacturers will tell you to use it because they want to sell it. People who have used them will tell you to buy one because a) they didn't get sick, and b) they don't want to feel like they just carried a pound of useless hassle down the trail.

Drink smart, save a few pounds. I bring some tablets or an eyedrop-sized bottle of bleach to treat suspect water. I only had to use these once in late season when the only water available was some standing lake. If you understand how this stuff works, you can safely get water just about anywhere.

[The_Saint]

Good advice from above^

[ndwoods]

I didn't filter at all on the JMT. I haven't filtered in the Sierra for about 15 years in fact...

[tothetrail]

We use the steri pen and have never had any problems. I do use a platty that has the bottom cut off that is used to scoop the water. It also has a small circle of metal coffee filter mesh pushed in the push/pull cap.

Once the water is treated in the platty, the push/pull cap is opened, and the treated water is filtered through the fine mesh filter into my drinking container. This filters out any floaties.

[RichardD]

I used Aqua Mira until the bottle leaked it all away then I used untreated for the last week. No problems. I met many folk who never treated in the Sierras.
The water is abundant and appears very clear and clean.
My .02 is that the risk is low with untreated but I will cary Aqua Mira this year to futrher reduce risk. I will not be particularly concerned if it runs out.

[toegem]

My filter blew-out the second day, then I used Polar Pure for the next 3 days and for the last 3 days I use nothing. I had no issues.