Cows on trail
Next a.m., Skip dropped me off at trailhead. Headed up trail -- tough hike, no rhythm. 13.6 miles to go to the shelter. Had to share trail with Bessie and her friends for a spell.
Trail cuts through a number of pastures, as do streams. I recall one hiker, Keith, dipping his nalgene bottle into a stream and drinking it straight. He said he could simply tell the water was clean, much to the dismay of some of the rest of us who tried to convince him there are dozens of reasons NOT to do that -- most having to do with G.I. infections. He'd have none of that -- he had graduated from a NOLS course and he knew what he was doing. Eh, we all have our delusions.
Giardia and e. coli are a few of the common gut ailments from unsterile water here in the east. The pur water filter is the tastiest way to get potable water, but the iodine tablets we carried worked the easiest -- just drop them in the water jug, let them dissolve, mix, and wait a half hour. The taste wasn't awful, but then I can't claim to know how tasty raw live giardia is. That's an experience I'll leave to others.