Water from a weird source!
Last Summer, 2009, I walked the entire length of the Pyrenees mountains for charity. One issue on route would be a constant supply of drinking water. I looked into all sorts of quick and easy solutions, but the one that stood out for ease of use and for peace of mind was the Aqua pure system. Admittedly when I first got it I thought it would be too heavy to include in my kit, as I was trying to travel super light. However because I carried the Pure Hydration system it meant that I was able to carry less water in my actual pack, meaning in the long term I dropped my total pack weight by a couple of kilo's each day!! I took water from every imaginable source, clear streams and cattle troughs through to stagnant mountain puddles and dubious looking springs. But the weirdest place I have taken water from on the trek was in a small mountain village. These villages often have fountains of water that state they are 'eau non portable' but with the pure hydration system that was never going to be a problem. However this one hamlet or village had no fountain, the only source of water I could find cam from a small rusty pipe that protruded from the exterior wall of a cemetery! Needless to say it would have been very foolhardy to take the water on board, goodness only knows what might have been in there, however the water was made safe by the system and was indeed a welcome relief on a very hot day!
It is now, without a doubt the first piece of equipment to go in my backpack!
Ben Honisett Sauveterre-De-Bearn France.
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