Sheep Hunters - Water near Muncho Lake?

[Jim Prawn]

Heading up around Fort Nelson/Muncho lake August 20 for our first backpack sheep hunt and wondering what to expect in the way of water quality and availability in the area. New MR 6500 pack, Big Agnus Copper Spur UL 3 man 3 season tent, Browning MT TI in 7mm WSM, ready to go! - Just dont want to die of thirst!
Cheers.
JP

[Riverratz]

Can't comment on availability, it's where you find it......... but, whatever you do, use this: http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/water-treatment-and-hydration/basecamp-water-treatment-and-hydration/sweetwater-microfilter/product
Great product, light & compact. Speaking from experience, get a spare filter cartridge and be sure to use the "pre-filter" (silt-stopper, separate item) otherwise the main filter clogs quickly with sediment if you're using murky water. http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/water-treatment-and-hydration/water-treatment-and-hydration-accessories/sweetwater-siltstopper/product

We also have the other base camp model (drip type) as well for larger group use. http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/water-treatment-and-hydration/water-treatment-and-hydration-accessories/sweetwater-siltstopper/product

Purification tablets work, but the water tastes like $hit, and you're still drinking muddy water.
Filter is the only way to go.

Some people will argue that a filter is not necessary, etc. but why take a chance on getting this?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia_lamblia
I know a guy who got it once, took him 6 months to recover, it wasn't pretty, and he suffered miserably.

[bigwhiteys]

Just be prepared to pack extra water in case... It can be scarce, it can be plentiful, you'll just have to be prepared to improvise.

A couple extra platypus for water storage and a water filter with a float style intake will help in getting water from tiny little puddles/pools or trickles. Finding snowpack and digging a hole below to trap water, then filter... You can always draw straws to see who has to lose altitude to get water :) Rainstorms offer good opportunities to replenish as well using your siltarp, tentfly or what have you to collect it.

Being thirsty in the mountains sucks

Carl

[stoneguide]

All the basins I hunted around Muncho have been hit or miss for water. One basin or valley would have a stream coming out of every nook and cranny there was and then you go over the ridge to the next one and it would be like someone turned off the tap. Like has been stated plan on the least amount and be happy if there is more.
SG

[bighornbob]

Heading up around Fort Nelson/Muncho lake August 20 for our first backpack sheep hunt and wondering what to expect in the way of water quality and availability in the area. New MR 6500 pack, Big Agnus Copper Spur UL 3 man 3 season tent, Browning MT TI in 7mm WSM, ready to go! - Just dont want to die of thirst!
Cheers.
JP

Muncho Lake has been full of water every time I have been up there.

Bhb

[Wood butcher]

I thought you boys only drank Lucky and Whisky.
Water's for making icecubes:-D

[Jim Prawn]

I thought you boys only drank Lucky and Whisky.
Water's for making icecubes:-D

We're not that picky Barry, we drink rum too, and other kinds of beer if there's no Lucky left. Just remember to wipe off the bowl....
JP

[ufishifish2]

Last year we hunted Sheep a bit south of Muncho. There was lots of good clean water often enough that we would leave camp intentionally each morning without water. Just depends on where exactly you are but that general area is pretty good.

[Jim Prawn]

Thanks for the input. Given this info I think we'll take a couple litres each with us for the hike in, plus an extra 4L storage bladder each in case we need to stock-pile while we're up there. At this point just planning on using drops if it looks necessary and taking some gatorade crystals to buffer the taste.
JP

[pillpusher]

I know of a new product that improves the taste (supposedly), just can't remember the name at the moment. I ordered some last month at our buying show. Send me a PM as a reminder if you are interested and I'll get you the product name and info.
PP

[snareman1234]

Thanks for the input. Given this info I think we'll take a couple litres each with us for the hike in, plus an extra 4L storage bladder each in case we need to stock-pile while we're up there. At this point just planning on using drops if it looks necessary and taking some gatorade crystals to buffer the taste.
JP


We are doing the drops as of right now too, as long as the water is clean it should be fine.

[kgriz]

If you are going to use a filter, which I do not but prob. should.....look into the new UV ones....kills all of the bad stuff as far as I remember and no filters to replace or clean.

[GoatGuy]

Personally, wouldn't worry about the water. Never had an issue and used to spend 3-4 months up there drinking out of lakes and creeks. Also, giardia shouldn't kick in until well after you're at home.

If needed that's what sick days are for!

[bigwhiteys]

We are doing the drops as of right now too, as long as the water is clean it should be fine.

The cleanliness of the water isn't always the problem. Getting it from the source into your bottle can be an issue with wide mouth Nalgenes and especially the tiny little platypus opening. If you have deep running water, a little waterfall to use or can improvise some type of chute/scoop it's fine, and for the most part, hiking "in" you'll start in a drainage and water is to your left of right. When you start gaining altitude, and onto the wind blown ridges and then find that you need to collect water out of a 2" deep tiny little puddle of sheep shit filled snowpack runoff at 7000' then the drops won't do shit, unless you packed a straw.

Having that water filter with the little float intake (can place in tiny little spots and suck water) has come in handy the last 2 years we've used it. The drops,UV filters etc... don't help you "collect" the water any easier whereas a simple little pump sure does. The water we drank out of dirty snowpack last year wouldn't have looked very appealing with drops. That said, Clean water will always be easy to find if you're willing to drop down...

I was in the "never filter" water crowd especially for the water up there, been drinking it for a long time unfiltered, never a problem. It wasn't until we were put into some really dry situations where we really started to appreciate the versatility of those little pumps for collecting and drinking nasty water... Now we don't go without. The drops are a backup system if we break the pump. Those drops give me a pounding headache though, I can't handle drinking too much of that water... The two chemicals and the reaction are "food grade" but seriously... take a whiff of it!

Carl

[moose2]

Thanks for the input. Given this info I think we'll take a couple litres each with us for the hike in, plus an extra 4L storage bladder each in case we need to stock-pile while we're up there. At this point just planning on using drops if it looks necessary and taking some gatorade crystals to buffer the taste.
JP
Hey JP
The storage bladder is a good idea. I like to carry a couple large ziplock freezer bags with me. They are light fold small they are tough and easy to fill even if they have to be moulded into a crack of a rock wall or around roots or something. These allow you to carry a fair bit of water some distance if you have to get some to spike camp. From the areas I have been into about 8 out of 10 areas up that way will have desent water close by.
Mike

[snareman1234]

The cleanliness of the water isn't always the problem. Getting it from the source into your bottle can be an issue with wide mouth Nalgenes and especially the tiny little platypus opening. If you have deep running water, a little waterfall to use or can improvise some type of chute/scoop it's fine, and for the most part, hiking "in" you'll start in a drainage and water is to your left of right. When you start gaining altitude, and onto the wind blown ridges and then find that you need to collect water out of a 2" deep tiny little puddle of sheep shit filled snowpack runoff at 7000' then the drops won't do shit, unless you packed a straw.


Having that water filter with the little float intake (can place in tiny little spots and suck water) has come in handy the last 2 years we've used it. The drops,UV filters etc... don't help you "collect" the water any easier whereas a simple little pump sure does. The water we drank out of dirty snowpack last year wouldn't have looked very appealing with drops. That said, Clean water will always be easy to find if you're willing to drop down...

I was in the "never filter" water crowd especially for the water up there, been drinking it for a long time unfiltered, never a problem. It wasn't until we were put into some really dry situations where we really started to appreciate the versatility of those little pumps for collecting and drinking nasty water... Now we don't go without. The drops are a backup system if we break the pump. Those drops give me a pounding headache though, I can't handle drinking too much of that water... The two chemicals and the reaction are "food grade" but seriously... take a whiff of it!

Carl

Hmmm, this is true, you may have convinced me Carl

[bigwhiteys]

Here is a good example... This was a particularly dry basin we were in... This was about the last of the "fresh" water going up (5500 feet or so) and had to dig a small pool to collect enough runoff from this little spring for the float... Then pumped away and this little source filled 3, 1.5 liter Nalgenes in about 5 minutes.

http://bchuntingblog.com/wp-content/gallery/reviews/katadynvario2.jpg

Once we made it to a secluded little place to camp on the ridge, we had two choices for getting water. Drop down 1500-1700' where it was plentiful OR walk the ridge another 20 minutes or so (up and down) to a small snowpack. We dug a few holes at the bottom and let them fill with water.

http://bchuntingblog.com/mypics/waterfilter3.jpg

We easily go through our 1.5 liter Nalgene per day per person for drinking water

Breaky + Coffee = 2 cups.
Mountain House Dinner = 2 cups or 1.5 for propak. (I do 2, it's all hydration)

3 liters per day per person on the light side, 4 liters per day if you're really guzzling it and you should be. That's why the pump is now a staple in our packs, clean water (even from a dirty source) and easy to collect and store.

Carl

[Riverratz]

If pack weight is a concern for you, consider this; Water is heavy. 4.5 liters weighs 10 lb., .......without the weight of the container.
A filter, a spare cartridge, and the recommended pre-filter weighs mere ounces, is very small, and takes up much less space than containers of water. Check out the specs. on them and you'll see the facts.
You should still carry some water though, in case you can't immediately find it when you need it, and some pills/drops for the highly unlikely event the pump fails.

Cost ? You've obviously spent money on gear already. Is $100 going to stop you from going? And, you'll have it for future trips as well. Split the cost with your buddies and it's even less. One filter/pump is enough for a group of up to 4.

As BIGWHITEYS has stated and perfectly, explicitly demonstrated, extracting water from a tiny little trickle or puddle can be easily accomplished, safely, with a pump-filter......it moves 1 liter of water per minute, .......or you can suck it up with a straw or scoop it out with a spoon and hope for the best !!!!

The water filters suggested are not frivolous little toys.......people use them in third world, disease ridden countries. They can turn sewage into safe drinkable water. They work........period.
Giardia, Tularemia, (and other nasty little surprises) is spread by animals and birds, .......all of them. They can $hit, pi$$, puke, walk, roll around, or die in or near water sources year round. No one can deny that fact !!!
Just because some people insist on doing things the old fashioned way doesn't make those ways the best or safest.

The pills or drops you're considering will probably ? kill the bacteria and parasites, but you're still drinking murky, questionable water (if you can find it) with your flavor crystals in it.
If you can live with that, so be it.

Considering that weight, space and cost have been eliminated, and other than being just plain stubborn and refusing to change, can anyone suggest even one valid reason why having a water filter/pump is a bad idea ?

You asked about water quantity and quality. Sorry if the advice regarding your health, safety, convenience, and piece of mind sounds like a lecture, that was unintended.......just stating the hard facts.
Obviously it's your choice.
Good luck with your plans and hunt.

[bigwhiteys]

My little Katadyn Vario was about $100 and is a 2 liter per minute flow, so it's on the faster side. It's plastic so you need to be mindful of that, but heck, I've got my moneys worth in fresh water and handyness for sure.

Carl

[Riverratz]

My little Katadyn Vario was about $100 and is a 2 liter per minute flow, so it's on the faster side. It's plastic so you need to be mindful of that, but heck, I've got my moneys worth in fresh water and handyness for sure.

Carl

I have the MSR Sweetwater Micro. $89, plus a spare filter for about $35 as I recall. It's plastic as well, but very sturdy, we're just careful it doesn't get crushed or tossed around on the rocks. Silty, muddy water, like on the Muskwa/Kechika, clogs them up fast to the point they won't pump, and cleaning becomes frequent. Thus learned the hard way; get and use the "pre-filter" silt-stopper when in murky water, cheap, small & light, and stops that little problem. Clear mountain water presents no clogging issues at all.
For bigger, base camp uses we have the bag-drip models - Buddy has a Katadyn and I have the MSR. Both work great. 6 people for 20 days and no issues, other than rinsing all the sand, mud and grit off the outside of filter cartridge every third day or so........2 minute job.
I highly recommend either brand in the pump or drip models.

[Jim Prawn]

Love this site for this - great info from guys with experience not some behind the counter salesman. Have a hard time ignoring advice, especially from Carl (hence my new MR 6500!). Given that info and Riverratz driving home the easily over looked point that a litre of water weighs 2.2 lbs and a filter is about 3/4 lb, I think we'll try to make room for one.
Thanks again, can't wait to get up there and see that part of the province.
JP

[BigBear.338]

There is lots of water around muncho,just boil it,or filter.i was up there not long ago,i know of a couple artisan springs.

[budismyhorse]

in addition........When in unknown country, don't ever walk past a water source without topping up. Rule of thumb, works well.

[325]

Another option is the Steri-Pen. It is a UV wand that is supposed to be very effective at neutralizing water-born pathogens. I used one last year on my sheep hunt. Very light, and quilk.

BTW, I also use UV filtration at my house - works great.

[pillpusher]

The product I mentioned earlier is called AQUATABS, you can find info at www.aquatabs.ca (http://www.aquatabs.ca) or www.aquatabs.com (http://www.aquatabs.com). May not be as new as I had previously thought, but I did order some to have for the sheep hunters here in Fort Nelson.
PP

[Alpine Addict]

Muncho Lake.