When it is hot and dry and your water bottles are all empty a mountain stream can be an absolute lifesaver. I remember those feelings all too well.
What Are The Risks Of Drinking Straight From A Mountain Stream
Giardiasis and Cryptosporidiosis are intestinal infections caused by microscopic parasites that can thrive in freshwater when there is heavy animal traffic upstream.
I’ve used Mountain Streams hundreds of times as a water source over the years and I’ve never been sick. That could simply be blind luck or that I followed some basic rules.
I may be naive, but I’ve always believed that water in the higher mountains comes from rain and snowmelt. When I compare that to all the food preservatives we eat daily, mountain water seems fairly uncontaminated.
Why You Should Know The Mountains That You’re In And What Is Upstream
You should know the area that you’re in and check to see whether or not there are any farms or heavy animal activity upstream from where you will be hiking, running, or camping.
Don’t drink stagnant or slow-moving water. I have always filled up at a brisk moving stream. The chance of brisk moving water being contaminated is substantially less.
If possible look for natural springs and get your water as close to the source of that natural spring as possible.
What Are Your Options If You Are Unsure Of Water Quality In Mountain Streams
I no longer drink from mountain streams as often as I did when I was young. That’s partly due to the wisdom of age. Where I live now there is more animal traffic in the higher mountains compared to where I lived when I was young.
If you’re unsure of the water quality of a mountain stream when in a strange environment, use a LifeStraw (available on Amazon) or a Steripen (available on Amazon). That way you can improve the water quality as you drink it.
The combination of chronic dehydration and heat exhaustion are potentially life-threatening situations. Therefore you should weigh up the risks. Yes, the water that you drink may not be the absolute cleanest but not having any water at all can become life-threatening in a very short space of time.
If the weather is really hot, and you do have clean drinking water with you, there is an option to use a mountain stream risk-free to make your drinking water last longer. Soak both your hat and your shirt in the mountain stream and put them back on. The wet clothing will bring down your core temperature and reduce your sweat rate. Keeping cool and reducing your sweat rate will help your water supply last longer as you will be slowing down the process of dehydration.
Another alternative is something that I did in the Cedarberg mountain range of South Africa. I got to a mountain stream and instead of drinking the water directly, I pulled a small gas stove out of my backpack and I brewed up a steaming hot mug of tea. The act of boiling the water killed any microscopic parasites that may have been in the water. What’s more, I got to enjoy the flavor of the tea while sitting on the edge of a reasonably high cliff and enjoying the view across the valley.
