Here, here. When you need something in the wild, and it's sitting at home, you really a) kick yourself and b) can suffer potentially life threatening consequences. I can tell you stories of hiking with my minimalist father... There's a reason why I'm into preparedness. I have had to spend unplanned nights in the wild. Let me tell you that I will never forget.

Is this the study?

An Outbreak of Giardiasis in a Group of Campers

Unfortunately, they want you to pay to read the full article, but you can see the abstract.

OK, not to hog the forum, but here's a study I came across. It's not on sources of infection but rather on one purification method: iodine. Seems like iodine can be wholly inadequate even if directions are followed precisely. Efficacy of iodine water purification tablets against Cryptosporidium...

Good study; not the one I'm thinking of.

OK, I think this is the study: http://www.wemjournal.org/wmsonline/?req...4&page=0235

I dunno, it just seems to me folks are trying to find a way to bring their hustle and bustle work life mentality to the hills. Why would anyone want to hike 50-60 miles a day? If all they're trying to accomplish is to just cover as much ground as possible, stick to the shoulder of the road and just jog. Most of the places I would go to "get away" mean driving up into the hills somewhere, getting out of the truck, and hiking in just about any direction I choose for maybe a mile or so and I am in it. Running another 50 miles only gets me deeper in it, and means I have to then hike that far to get back out of it.

In this day and age, if you can't get in it without having to cover 50 miles on foot, then methinks you might be trying too hard. I ain't never been that ambitious about recreation. Maybe it is nice knowing for certain you can cover that much ground in a day if'n you really had to, but to do it just cuz it's something to do, that just don't make no sense...

+1 to Benjammin. I wouldn't want to cover 30 miles in a day. I'm out there to drink in the sights/smells. The LAST thing I want is for my time in the woods to end sooner. Power-hiking makes absolutely no sense to me.

That being said, to each their own. They can laugh at me as I dwadle along, I'll laugh at them as they zoom by the pretty butterfly.

-Blast

Not the very Northern Appalachians, where I live. From the Maine / New Hampshire border northward some 300-miles to Mt katahdin is remote and very rugged. A "gone missing" kind of place.

Regarding water quality, here are two references (see links below). Now, both of these articles refer to the Sierra Nevada, which, while near and dear to my heart, may not be all that relevant to you, but nevertheless the findings are quite thought provoking.

Paper from 2003

LA Times Article from 2005

Well, for the record no one that I've ever heard of does 50 - 60 miles in a day. A week, yes, but not in a day. 20 miles is very high mileage in day with an overnight pack. Typically, on a backpack, my goal is 8 - 12 miles for a day. 12 miles can be pretty exhausting depending on the terrain.



Cool; glad that works for you. Speaking just for myself, I'll hike more mileage for the following reasons.
-Get away from the crowds and graffitti/garbage
-To get a better sense of the overall area
-To see a variety of terrain, including high altitude, remote terrain inacessible to the general public except by foot.
-To enjoy more frequent wildlife encounters.
Here's some photos from my 4 day backpack in Colorado. Perhaps they will speak for themselves. Jim's Rocky Mountain National Park Backpack



Been to Alaska lately? Seriously, one of the great things about the good ol' US of A is that we do have large tracts of wilderness, spots with beautiful things like imposing rock domes, spectacular natural arches, labrynthine caves, and fabulous waterfalls. Sometimes it's neat to visit a fantastic, pristine spot and have it all to yourself.