A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada

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Water Wellness in the Backcountry by Ola Dunin-Bell Samuel T. Coleridge could have just as easily been writing about today’s wilderness traveler as the ancient mariner when he penned his famous poem in 1797. Water is vital to all of us, but safe potable water is not always readily accessible. We all know that water weighs a lot – one kilogram per litre – and the last thing we want to do is add unnecessary weight to our packs. Unfortunately, dehydration is both subtle in its onset and serious in its consequences. If a person waits until they are thirsty to drink, they have waited too long. With dehydration come fatigue, muscle cramps and nausea. Performance goes down, but this is not the worst of it. Dehydration increases risk for heat stroke and can eventually lead to collapse and even death. But how much water is enough and how can we make sure we can get it? An active person will require approximately two and a half to three litres of water daily. Add some sunshine, hot weather, a refl ective surface such as a rock face or glacier and four to fi ve litres becomes the minimum daily requirement. Altitude adds a further dimension with the air being much drier the higher one ascends. Because of this, signifi cant body water is lost with every breath taken. If counting litres is not your thing, you should be drinking enough that you need to pee several times during the day and your urine is copious and almost colourless. The one caution here is for those individuals involved in endurance activities (e.g. Ironman triathlon, canyon walking) where cases of excessive fl uid intake can produce dilution of the body’s normal chemistry (hyponatremia), leading to complications as serious as those seen in dehydration. For those involved in prolonged physically demanding activities, the range of 500 to 750 ml of fl uid intake per hour has been suggested as more appropriate and, if possible, in the form of sports drinks that include electrolytes (salts). As stated earlier, getting your mouth around this much clean water is not always easy. Carrying several days’ supply would be an almost prohibitive weight and not your fi rst choice unless there was no source along the way. If you are planning a multi-day 20 Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● Summer 2003 “Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.” excursion up a big wall, hauling water with you is indeed the only alternative and one you must not skimp on. Hiking up a mountain will often bring you into close proximity to streams, but although the water may look cool, clear and tempting, be aware that even in the Rocky Mountains many of the streams are contaminated with organisms that can cause serious illness. Anyone who has experienced the cramping and diarrhea of ‘beaver fever’ knows that very quickly, a camping trip can be ruined and that often recovery can be very slow and prolonged, with fl are ups of symptoms even weeks later. Although cholera is a risk only in developing countries, E. Coli, salmonella and shigella are all bacteria that can also produce life-threatening dysentery (fever and bloody diarrhea) and can be found in North American water sources. Infectious hepatitis, a disease caused by the hepatitis A virus, affects the liver producing jaundice as well as causing nausea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. This tiny virus particle is frequently spread by water. At lower elevations a number of pathogens (disease causing organisms), including viruses (e.g. hepatitis A), bacteria (e.g. salmonella) and parasites (e.g. cryptosporidium), can readily be found, but even in upper regions giardia cysts, the source of beaver fever, can be shed into the water supply by animals carrying this parasite. The presence of animals and humans in an area will mean faecal contamination and high likelihood of infectious organisms seeding the water supply. Some people are comfortable with taking the risk of drinking unpurifi ed water, based on their knowledge of the local water supply. To be absolutely certain, however, some form of water treatment is necessary to eliminate the possibility of waterborne illness. Water Treatment General principles should be kept in mind when obtaining water for drinking, even if the plan is to proceed with a disinfection treatment. The lower the initial load of organisms and other contaminants, the more effective the treatment will be. Obtain clear, free running water upstream photo by Josée Larochelle from any known contamination source, if taking from a stream, or well out from shore, with as little silt as possible, if the source is lakewater. Snow should be collected uphill from the hut or campsite and well away and above any latrine facility. Avoid any snow nearby or underlying ‘pink snow’, a form of algae seen on glaciers. Similarly, care should be taken in disposal of waste to avoid contributing further to contamination of water supplies. Hand washing and good personal hygiene are also key factors in avoiding waterborne transmission of disease. Disinfection Methods Water can be made safe for drinking by one of three methods – heat, chemical treatment or mechanical fi ltration. Heat Heat is the oldest and the most consistently effective method of disinfecting water so that it is safe to drink. Although old recommendations were to boil water for ten minutes, this has been proven to be unnecessary and simply bringing it to a boil allows enough time at high temperature for pathogens to be destroyed. Either covering the pot after the boil and allowing slow cooling or boiling for a full minute provides a wide safety margin. Although altitude does lower the boiling temperature, the achievable heat is still enough, but again a longer boiling time, up to three minutes at high altitude, makes safety a certainty. There are drawbacks, however, to heat treatment, the main one being the need to carry fuel. Heating water also does not improve other physical characteristics, including appearance and taste that may make water less palatable. In the next issue chemical treatment and mechanical methods for water purifi cation will be described. Ola Dunin-Bell is a Physician and member of the Wilderness Medical Society
Conrad Kain Hut photo by Josee Bourgoin National Offi ce News by Bruce Keith, Executive Director After a weather-weird winter in most parts of Canada, I’m sure we have all welcomed the warmer temperatures with open arms. Spring always brings those uplifting feelings of a new beginning, and alpine areas beckoning us with promises of new places to explore and sights to see. At the National Offi ce here in Canmore, new beginnings are defi nitely in the air. Our Offi ce Manager and Membership Coordinator, Josée Larochelle, is planning to go on maternity leave in mid-July. Congratulations to her and her husband, Kelly, and all our best wishes! Filling in for Josée while she is away will be Paula Zettel, who is a keen mountaineer and member of the Rocky Mountain Section. She looks forward to meeting or talking with as many of you as possible. Welcome, Paula! Rob Kozarchuk, one of our valuable front desk staff members in the Canmore Clubhouse, has left to pursue other interests (a.k.a. tree planting), but we hope he will return again once the snow starts to fall next winter. New to the front desk is Thu Nguyen, who is looking forward to speaking with and meeting members and Clubhouse guests. Also, welcome back to Dorothy Ward, who will be joining us again for the summer. We’re looking forward to having some new staff come on board over the next few months, and we’ll be working hard as a team to ensure we continue to serve you in the manner to which you have grown accustomed Leadership Workshop big thank-you to the ACC National Endowment Fund for providing funding to A run the Vancouver Section’s Leadership Workshop this February. The workshop was attended to capacity by 20 participants, a combination of experienced and new ACC leaders. The workshop was led by Rick Davies (of Rick Davies & Associates, Leadership Training and Development Specialists), and Bridget Milsom (North Shore Search and Rescue). The enthusiastic participation and response of participants has generated a follow-up Leadership Development weekend to be held in the summer of 2003. Thanks again to the ACC Endowment Fund; this was a real boost for our Section! Volunteer Opportunities There are two new areas on the Bulletin Board of the national website designed to help increase the effectiveness of volunteering for the Alpine Club of Canada. They are to assist all areas of the club – national, committees and sections – to fi nd volunteers as well as to help people keen on volunteering to publish their intentions. The fi rst area is entitled ‘Volunteers Wanted’ – this is where sections, committees and the national club can advertise specifi c jobs, positions or requirements. It is important when you post something in this area that you include a description of what is required, contact information, time requirements, special equipment required, special skills required and the physical location that the task will occur. The second area is entitled ‘Eager to Volunteer’ – this is the area where people can publish their desire to volunteer. It is important for anyone placing a post in this area to include their name, contact information, special skills and equipment they have, type of position or task they are seeking, time they are available and physical locations they are available. Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● Summer 2003 21
Page 1: Vol. 17, No. 2 ● Summer 2003 A Pa
Page 4 and 5: To Every Place There is a Season by
Page 6 and 7: Kokanee Glacier Cabin The Alpine Cl
Page 8 and 9: Pumpkins in Training Winter Leaders
Page 10 and 11: Liability in the Backcountry by Joh
Page 12 and 13: above: Cathryn emerging from Mac’
Page 14 and 15: If You Go… Getting There Arrange
Page 16 and 17: A Passion for the Mountains by Amy
Page 18 and 19: Las Mujeres de Las Montanas 2002 Ce
Page 22 and 23: Trespassing at ACC Backcountry Huts

A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada

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