Today is Blog Action Day, where thousands of people from more than a hundred countries will blog about issues related to water issues in their communities and around the world.
I'm going to take a bit of poetic licence to this and consider how I use water when I'm walking or backpacking.
I like water; as a human being we're composed of between 50-70% water, depending of state of hydration, body size and age. The brain is 85% water, unless on a Saturday morning, after the night before...We are supposed to drink upwards of 2 litres a day to maintain hydration; if we don't symptoms can range from being thirsty, headachy, tired, dizzy, to full on kidney and bodily collapse and death. According to the NHS, "dehydration occurs when there is a 1% or greater reduction in body weight due to fluid loss".
Walking the West Highland Way in the summer I was able, after the first day, to pretty much collect water as I needed it and not carry much at all; my 500ml bottle from the co-op with a small 200ml reserve in my Platypus. I didn't treat any water at all, selecting common sense places to gather it where it would naturally be filtered and unlikely to be exposed to rotting flesh...
This is in stark contrast to my normal walking places. I live on the outskirts of Sheffield and the Peak District is the place I've walked most. I'm used to not being able to have access to potable water and either carrying more, or treating the water I do collect and managing the compromise between the two. Bear in mind that I may walk the entire day without passing a water source unless you count the water that can be squeezed out of peat hags! I do take chances sometimes, in areas that aren't frequented often and where sheep aren't grazing. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen bloated, rotting sheep carcases in streams and unless I know I'm near the spring head then I don't chance drinking untreated water.
There is also the impact of the sheer number of people that visit the Peak District every year. 16m people live within 1 hours drive of the Peak District and there is an estimated 45 million day visits a year. I wonder how many practice 'carry out' or sanitary bury it techniques when they heed the call of number 2s! Sadly I don't believe that many, especially when I see the amount of basic litter, including banana skins, left as a souvenier for the next person to see. (Banana skins take a couple of years to decompose, and their composition is not natural to a mountains and moorland environment!)
I am about to visit the Lake District this weekend and one of the considerations I will make is where I'll be able to collect water, especially as I hope to have an overnight camp somewhere in the hills. Similar issues viz. huge people numbers and risk of pollution apply here.
Thinking longer term and my goal of the PCT, while I have visions of the mighty Tuolumne and cascading waterfalls amongst the mountains, unfortunately treating water is a must in pretty much all areas. There is also the issue of how much to across the stretches of desert where water just is not available.
I hope this post and Blog Action Day makes you consider the impact water has on your body and outings. How much you respect the environment and how much you do, or don't, take it for granted. It's so nice to be able for us to take water from a tap, but in years to come water is said to become a commodity that is more valuable than oil. That time isn't far.
I have a bad habit of not hydrating properly when out on the hill, coupled with a bad habit of not forcing myself to stop and eat something. I usually just keep walking until I run out of puff and have to stop to refuel. Or, if I'm using my Platypus, drinking it all too quickly, before it gets warm...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the lack of sanitary etiquette in the outdoors. I've seen (and smelt) the evidence all to often. I've also witnessed other ways in which people display their callous disregard for the environment and those actions possible consequences for others. There is a popular "wild camping" spot that I know of where such signs are all to frequent. It is at the head of a reservoir and I've even seen the remains of food dumped into the water. Thank goodness the water still has to pass through purification processes as I shudder to think what else might be in the water after these informal campers have wreaked their havoc!
ReplyDeleteThanks Simon and David.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty sad given that we all are human, have pretty much the same bodily functions, yet some people are so much more aware and responsible. What makes that difference?
I used to not worry too much about the need for water - there was usually a spring to be found somewhere near enough that I didn't need to carry much with me.
ReplyDeleteOnly after hiking in the Utah desert and the Badlands did my perceptions change. It's a totally different existence to have to constantly consider where the next possible water supply might be, and to plan your days around that.
I was recently at a lecture by the artists and theorist Doreen Massey on the subject of water availability in the American Southwest. It was strange to hear how the availability of water is such an issue in parts of the States - a developed nation. It really heightened my awareness of the issue in the US and in comparison to other countries.
It's fascinating how something people take for granted on one side of a country can be a matter of life and death in the other.
Good post, Helen.
Water never tastes as good to me as it does on a trail where every drop counts.
I have a bad habit of not hydrating properly when out on the hill, coupled with a bad habit of not forcing myself to stop and eat something. I usually just keep walking until I run out of puff and have to stop to refuel. Or, if I'm using my Platypus, drinking it all too quickly, before it gets warm...
ReplyDelete