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That old guy at the REI told me to skip the water purifier tablets and just drink straight from the creek.
Honestly, I thought he was messing with me. It was my first solo trip on the Long Trail in Vermont, about 3 days in. He said the water up there is so clean you don't need anything, just find a fast moving part. So I gave it a try and filled my bottle right from a stream near a shelter. Two days later I was stuck in my tent with the worst cramps and nausea I've ever had, had to cut the trip short by 4 days. Never again am I taking advice from some random dude in the parking lot. Has anyone else ever fallen for that kind of bad advice from a stranger?
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gray_roberts1mo ago
Took a sip from what looked like crystal clear mountain runoff once and spent the next 36 hours praying to the porcelain gods... turns out "crystal clear" just means "full of microscopic critters waiting to party in your gut." At least you got a story out of it and a solid reminder that some people just want to watch the world burn, or at least watch you burn through a roll of toilet paper.
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