I have the opportunity to join in with a group floating the Colorado River from Moab to the Confluence in a few weeks. I would like to try it in my Manitou 14. Others will be using IK’s and canoes. The group will be out for 6 days. The space available in the Manitou seems to be much more than my backpack, so I don’t anticipate there being a problem with finding space for food, camping gear. I don’t see having room enough for water for that length of time however. The others normally carry enough water. They doubt that I will be able to filter the river water. Are there any springs, etc along the way to take advantage of? Has anyone had success with filtering the river water?
h2o
So it sounds like a space issue…correct? Well that time of year probably be fine with a gallon per day…so you can’t load on top? Don’t worry about looks or bulk…if you can strap a couple of 2 1/2 gallon jugs…do it. So no big rafts going? They could easily take your extra water. You could filter but would take forever. Use alum powder like grand canyon boaters…mix in w collapsable pail a tablespoon of powder…it adheres to silt and settles out by morning…then you can filter it out easily. Buy at health food stores, natural food markets, brewers supply stores etc.
wtr
Don’t recall any side streams
I carried all of my water but…
http://thedamntrueexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post.html
I found fresh water at Mineral Bottom and there is a spring in the cliff wall above an old racher’s dwelling at Anderson Bottom.
Those are the only fresh sources I know of.
Reading fail.
Woops…you are floating the Colorado…nevermind. Sorry.
Thanks for info!
Thanks for the tip on the alum. I had never heard of that. I am anxious to go out and find some silty water to try it out.
yeah
Google alum and water silt to get better ratio of amount needed
I will say hi to you on the river
maybe(will respect your privacy). We are carrying 11 gal freshwater for a ten day trip for two and it seems filters do work and alum helps clump sediment. We plan on a multistage process.One to gather water and let it settle (this is where alum helps). Then we use coffee filters to decant into second bottles. Then we will use an MSR miniworks to filter drinking water. Hopefully by the time the second stage has been done we wont need to use the MSR for cooking water.
Our freshwater requirement is 2 x the amount we will be taking and yes we need to filter sediment sometime.
Alum has been the bane of my shopping life in the East. I have been told by a Coloradan to visit a drugstore and speak to the pharmacist. Its not a high volume item and does not sometimes warrant shelf space though it is in the back closet.
looking for alum
Check your local Whole Foods
Managing the coffee filters
I am still mulling over whether I am going to take advantage of this float opportunity, but the group will be on the water October 2nd thru the 8th. They are a very social group!
It looks like you have put a lot of thought into the water recovery process. How are you going to manage the use of the coffee filters–basket from coffee maker???
Nothing at Whole Foods, but…
Checked two "national"chains. Nothing found at Whole Foods or Sprouts.
Checked one local natural foods grocery, nothing.
Just for grins, popped into Wal-Mart. Bingo!! There it was sitting next to AllSpice. Only stocked in 2 oz. bottles. Must not take much to make pickles…
I am paddling the Green from
– Last Updated: Sep-12-11 10:34 PM EST –
Crystal Geyser to Spanish Bottom (on the Colorado).
I have a LOT of driving to do. So when I hit CO I will hit up a drug store with a pharmacist and ask for alum. It does not take much 1/2 tsp per 2 gal river water. That makes the sediments glob up.
Failing that hunt I am taking a really big container (Sea to Summit kitchen sink). Stand in the river ( with pull off proof booties) and gather water. Its a 20 liter sink..so the heft could be considerable and take it to shore. Let it settle overnight and then decant with a coffee filter in a funnel to remove silt. The funnel will be inserted into a gallon milk jug. Then I can filter into two Platypus 2 liter containers via an MSR filter.
I hope. Phew. It will be a workout! We will save our 11 gallons for drinking. I have a seven gallon and an four gallon box hardsided plastic container. If space is a problem you may still have time to save every single 2 liter bottle you have and fill them. The little bottles (comparatively) fit into nooks and crannies.
I put a whole lot of thought into this water thing. In my usual paddling I can either drink from the lake directly or use a basic water filter. But I do have some salt water canoe experience and know that I would rather not carry the 22 gallons (175 lbs!) required for safe and healthy personal hygiene and adequate hydration if I can help it.
Settle and filter.
Did Ruby Ranch to Spanish bottom on the Green about 6 weeks ago. Started with minimal water, pumped everything we needed. Had 2 2 liter dromedary bags, and 2 nalgenes. When we’d stop for the night, I’d turn a 20 liter dry bag inside out, and fill it with river water. Set it aside, filter in the AM. I wish I had remembered the alum powder, but it wasn’t too bad. I used an MSR hyperflow, carried a spare filter, never used it. I like this filter for this type of stuff because it cleans pretty well by back flowing. I generally flushed it every time I filtered. Enjoy your trip!
sam
Can’t just drink it?
What happens if you use the river water as is?
plugs filters very quickly
Nooo there are no requirements
for grazing animals to use portable toilets.
BTW I went to a pharmacy ( a real one) in Colorado yesterday and asked for alum.
They had never heard of it.EITHER. I am getting tired of the chase. I have my coffee filters, an extra container and my MSR filter…and a 20 liter Sea to Summit dishpan for settling.
alum
beer and wine making place, food co-op i.e health food stores, bulk type places with nutritional supplements… should have alum…call them so not to drive around
taxydermny supply place
local tanning and taxidermy…alum used in tanning too. aluminum sulfate is its complete name!!!
See post way above
LOL…Forget about natural foods stores etc…Go to Walmart. I have three jars sitting in front of me from there…
Try alum
Friends and I have done several western rivers where water is a problem. We don’t carry water; we treat it. Here’s how:
1.Buy a bottle of alum at your local pharmacy (about $10)
2.Fill a roughly 2.5 gallon bucket with the “chocolate malt colored”, sediment-filled river water.
3.Add a heaping tablespoon of alum to the bucket, then stir slowly in ONE DIRECTION (clockwise or counterclockwise)with a long stick. Continue stirring (about 5 minutes) until you see a “flocculant precipitate” forming on the surface of the water. The precipitate will look like miniature snowflakes. When you see this, stop stirring and go away for about 20 minutes.
4.In roughly 20 minutes the water will be crystal clear–all the sediment has gone to the bottom. Be careful to take water from the top of the bucket–don’t mix the sediment back in.
5.If you’re boiling the water, no problem. If you filling canteens, treat or filter the clear water. Simple, isn’t it?
We’ve used this procedure on the Green River, Little Missouri and Rio Grande. No problems.
Cliff