I looked here expecting eeek to have posted this already, he usually gets the news up practically before it happens, so I thought I'd take my one chance to beat him to it...8^)
Right on schedule, they predicted Friday and here it is, and they're up (the Half Dome cables).
For anyone planning to go who's new to it, with this hot weather expect to need a full gallon of water per person, don't be stingy. You can refill at the Merced past Nevada Fall, at Little Yosemite Valley, or find springs beyond that, but don't plan on any water past Little Yosemite Valley, so don't leave there without a half gallon per person at least. The last treated water that I know of would be at Lower Vernal Fall bridge, so if you don't have a means of purification, or are willing to do as I do, and refill straight from the Merced, carry it with you.
And the weather is ripe for thunderstorms in the afternoon, so leave early, before daybreak if possible, and don't go up if you see storm clouds anywhere around, even if you see others doing it (you will).
Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
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Re: Cables are up!!
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Cables are up!! May 16, 2008 10:01AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 141 |
May 16, 2008 11:12AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 423 |
MSR MiniWorks EX Filter ($85.00)
http://www.rei.com/product/695265
I never go anywhere without it.
Post Edited (05-16-08 11:15)
Like I always say, "if you can't laugh at yourself, let me do it".
My Yosemite Blog: http://yosemiteforrest.blogspot.com/
http://www.rei.com/product/695265
I never go anywhere without it.
Post Edited (05-16-08 11:15)
Like I always say, "if you can't laugh at yourself, let me do it".
My Yosemite Blog: http://yosemiteforrest.blogspot.com/
May 16, 2008 12:51PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,109 |
May 16, 2008 03:38PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 2,321 |
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Re: Cables are up!! May 16, 2008 04:51PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 141 |
The Katadyn hiker costs quite a bit less than the MSR one linked, though the ceramic filter sounded like a good idea. Until I read the reviews from those who had accidentally broken it. I've been really happy with the Hiker...works well, easy to clean, and not too bulky.
I also have a Katadyn dip-in-water bottle that has the filter, plus the purification step, but it sits unused, as I hate the taste of the Iodine. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I prefer to dip from the stream with a cup...sensibly of course. This would be handy for REALLY suspicious water when there's no alternative.
Was reading the info at REI linked from that MSR filter, and it sounds like stuff I believed at one time...all those evil organisms just waiting to attack us. We drank from streams (using common sense) when I was a kid, with no ill effects, and I've never had any ill effects from the Sierra streams. The article equated that to running red lights and depending on not getting hit (for a while), but I think it's more like walking down the sidewalk...a runaway car could still come flying at you, but it's not likely. You could just stay home and be safe, I suppose 8^).
Seeing what animals drink, I wonder just how shetered we have made ourselves; I sincerely doubt we're designed to drink only from purified sources (now plastic bottles are under suspicion, sort of ironic, or maybe ionic...8^)
Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
I also have a Katadyn dip-in-water bottle that has the filter, plus the purification step, but it sits unused, as I hate the taste of the Iodine. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I prefer to dip from the stream with a cup...sensibly of course. This would be handy for REALLY suspicious water when there's no alternative.
Was reading the info at REI linked from that MSR filter, and it sounds like stuff I believed at one time...all those evil organisms just waiting to attack us. We drank from streams (using common sense) when I was a kid, with no ill effects, and I've never had any ill effects from the Sierra streams. The article equated that to running red lights and depending on not getting hit (for a while), but I think it's more like walking down the sidewalk...a runaway car could still come flying at you, but it's not likely. You could just stay home and be safe, I suppose 8^).
Seeing what animals drink, I wonder just how shetered we have made ourselves; I sincerely doubt we're designed to drink only from purified sources (now plastic bottles are under suspicion, sort of ironic, or maybe ionic...8^)
Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
May 16, 2008 05:36PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,374 |
Sierrafan wrote:
> The Katadyn hiker costs quite a bit less than the MSR one
> linked, though the ceramic filter sounded like a good idea.
> Until I read the reviews from those who had accidentally broken
> it. I've been really happy with the Hiker...works well, easy
> to clean, and not too bulky.
The Hiker used to be from Pur until P&G bought Pur and sold off the outdoor water purification division to Katadyn. P&G actually created a system for simple yet inexpensive water treatment in underdeveloped areas. We wondered why it was so much cheaper than sodium hypochlorite tablets and theorized that P&G's sale of the outdoor division mean that they couldn't compete in that market with a similar product for backpackers.
> I also have a Katadyn dip-in-water bottle that has the filter,
> plus the purification step, but it sits unused, as I hate the
> taste of the Iodine. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but
> now I prefer to dip from the stream with a cup...sensibly of
> course. This would be handy for REALLY suspicious water when
> there's no alternative.
I always wondered if that was OK. Of course you can always neutralize the iodine taste/color with vitamin C. Probably wouldn't work well with that squirt bottle unless you used it to fill another bottle.
> Was reading the info at REI linked from that MSR filter, and it
> sounds like stuff I believed at one time...all those evil
> organisms just waiting to attack us. We drank from streams
> (using common sense) when I was a kid, with no ill effects, and
> I've never had any ill effects from the Sierra streams. The
> article equated that to running red lights and depending on not
> getting hit (for a while), but I think it's more like walking
> down the sidewalk...a runaway car could still come flying at
> you, but it's not likely. You could just stay home and be
> safe, I suppose 8^).
>
> Seeing what animals drink, I wonder just how shetered we have
> made ourselves; I sincerely doubt we're designed to drink only
> from purified sources (now plastic bottles are under suspicion,
> sort of ironic, or maybe ionic...8^)
I'd guess the problem would be with the proliferation of giardia and cryptosporidium in cattle. Then the horses get it, and people take those horses up to the high country. Then the horses leave their deposits and there's no regulations on cleanup like with human waste.
In any case, sickness from water supply does cause illness and death around the world. I guess we're lucky in the Sierras that the most we have to contend with is a microorganism that's rarely fatal for otherwise healthy adults. Still - you get things like the Milwaukee cryptosporidium scare to make you think about it. Almost half of those served by a malfunctioning treatment plant fell ill and over 100 died.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9609/02/nfm/water.quality/
> The Katadyn hiker costs quite a bit less than the MSR one
> linked, though the ceramic filter sounded like a good idea.
> Until I read the reviews from those who had accidentally broken
> it. I've been really happy with the Hiker...works well, easy
> to clean, and not too bulky.
The Hiker used to be from Pur until P&G bought Pur and sold off the outdoor water purification division to Katadyn. P&G actually created a system for simple yet inexpensive water treatment in underdeveloped areas. We wondered why it was so much cheaper than sodium hypochlorite tablets and theorized that P&G's sale of the outdoor division mean that they couldn't compete in that market with a similar product for backpackers.
> I also have a Katadyn dip-in-water bottle that has the filter,
> plus the purification step, but it sits unused, as I hate the
> taste of the Iodine. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but
> now I prefer to dip from the stream with a cup...sensibly of
> course. This would be handy for REALLY suspicious water when
> there's no alternative.
I always wondered if that was OK. Of course you can always neutralize the iodine taste/color with vitamin C. Probably wouldn't work well with that squirt bottle unless you used it to fill another bottle.
> Was reading the info at REI linked from that MSR filter, and it
> sounds like stuff I believed at one time...all those evil
> organisms just waiting to attack us. We drank from streams
> (using common sense) when I was a kid, with no ill effects, and
> I've never had any ill effects from the Sierra streams. The
> article equated that to running red lights and depending on not
> getting hit (for a while), but I think it's more like walking
> down the sidewalk...a runaway car could still come flying at
> you, but it's not likely. You could just stay home and be
> safe, I suppose 8^).
>
> Seeing what animals drink, I wonder just how shetered we have
> made ourselves; I sincerely doubt we're designed to drink only
> from purified sources (now plastic bottles are under suspicion,
> sort of ironic, or maybe ionic...8^)
I'd guess the problem would be with the proliferation of giardia and cryptosporidium in cattle. Then the horses get it, and people take those horses up to the high country. Then the horses leave their deposits and there's no regulations on cleanup like with human waste.
In any case, sickness from water supply does cause illness and death around the world. I guess we're lucky in the Sierras that the most we have to contend with is a microorganism that's rarely fatal for otherwise healthy adults. Still - you get things like the Milwaukee cryptosporidium scare to make you think about it. Almost half of those served by a malfunctioning treatment plant fell ill and over 100 died.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9609/02/nfm/water.quality/
May 16, 2008 03:44PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,374 |
I bought an MSR SweetWater filter on sale at REI last year. Less than $50 I recall.
I never quite understood the "purifier" step that comes with the more expensive version. A $10 bottle of chlorine bleach just to get viruses? I couldn't figure out why that was superior to ordinary Clorox bleach (not the kind that uses other agents like lye).
I never quite understood the "purifier" step that comes with the more expensive version. A $10 bottle of chlorine bleach just to get viruses? I couldn't figure out why that was superior to ordinary Clorox bleach (not the kind that uses other agents like lye).
May 16, 2008 03:51PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,109 |
May 16, 2008 04:15PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 2,321 |
Laundry bleach uses Sodium Hypochlorite generally at a 6% solution and the bottle of bleach with the water filter is at something like 3.5%. So five drops of the 3.5% does not translate easily to the 6% solution. The five drops of 3.5% per liter of water is the "optimized" dosage but 2.xx drops of laundry bleach would work equally as well if you could get the xx part taken care of. The MSR solution is "very special" thus the high price of $8.99 for 2oz as opposed to a buck and a half for a gallon of 6% household bleach.
Old Dude
Old Dude
May 16, 2008 04:38PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,374 |
mrcondron wrote:
> Laundry bleach uses Sodium Hypochlorite generally at a 6%
> solution and the bottle of bleach with the water filter is at
> something like 3.5%. So five drops of the 3.5% does not
> translate easily to the 6% solution. The five drops of 3.5%
> per liter of water is the "optimized" dosage but 2.xx drops of
> laundry bleach would work equally as well if you could get the
> xx part taken care of. The MSR solution is "very special" thus
> the high price of $8.99 for 2oz as opposed to a buck and a half
> for a gallon of 6% household bleach.
Some bottles of Clorox bleach come with instructions for emergency disinfection of water. I realize the $9 does get you a supposedly well-sealed bottle. However - who want to have a bottle of chlorine bleach leaking in their bear canister - and all over their food.
Post Edited (05-16-08 16:38)
> Laundry bleach uses Sodium Hypochlorite generally at a 6%
> solution and the bottle of bleach with the water filter is at
> something like 3.5%. So five drops of the 3.5% does not
> translate easily to the 6% solution. The five drops of 3.5%
> per liter of water is the "optimized" dosage but 2.xx drops of
> laundry bleach would work equally as well if you could get the
> xx part taken care of. The MSR solution is "very special" thus
> the high price of $8.99 for 2oz as opposed to a buck and a half
> for a gallon of 6% household bleach.
Some bottles of Clorox bleach come with instructions for emergency disinfection of water. I realize the $9 does get you a supposedly well-sealed bottle. However - who want to have a bottle of chlorine bleach leaking in their bear canister - and all over their food.
Post Edited (05-16-08 16:38)
May 16, 2008 06:08PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,876 |
mrcondron wrote:
> Laundry bleach uses Sodium Hypochlorite generally at a 6%
> solution and the bottle of bleach with the water filter is at
> something like 3.5%. So five drops of the 3.5% does not
> translate easily to the 6% solution. The five drops of 3.5%
> per liter of water is the "optimized" dosage but 2.xx drops of
> laundry bleach would work equally as well if you could get the
> xx part taken care of. The MSR solution is "very special" thus
> the high price of $8.99 for 2oz as opposed to a buck and a half
> for a gallon of 6% household bleach.
>
Since 6.0/3.5 = 1.7, take an arbitrary volume of the 6% solution (e.g., 100 ml) and dilute with an additional 70% of that volume of water (70 ml for this example) to get your 3.5% MSR-equivalent solution (170 ml total volume).
(Note: 35 ml of your initial 6% solution when diluted will yield about 2 oz.)
The Calculus and/or Differential Equations are not really needed to do the mathematics here.
> Laundry bleach uses Sodium Hypochlorite generally at a 6%
> solution and the bottle of bleach with the water filter is at
> something like 3.5%. So five drops of the 3.5% does not
> translate easily to the 6% solution. The five drops of 3.5%
> per liter of water is the "optimized" dosage but 2.xx drops of
> laundry bleach would work equally as well if you could get the
> xx part taken care of. The MSR solution is "very special" thus
> the high price of $8.99 for 2oz as opposed to a buck and a half
> for a gallon of 6% household bleach.
>
Since 6.0/3.5 = 1.7, take an arbitrary volume of the 6% solution (e.g., 100 ml) and dilute with an additional 70% of that volume of water (70 ml for this example) to get your 3.5% MSR-equivalent solution (170 ml total volume).
(Note: 35 ml of your initial 6% solution when diluted will yield about 2 oz.)
The Calculus and/or Differential Equations are not really needed to do the mathematics here.
May 16, 2008 04:17PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,109 |
May 16, 2008 07:41PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 2,321 |
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Re: Cables are up!! May 17, 2008 08:16PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 5 |
Let's not get off topic. If need be, please start a water filter topic!
I was going up the trail from Happy Isles on Friday morning. At 9 am there was a ranger taking down the "CABLES ARE DOWN" sign at the trailhead, he verified that the cables were up as of Thursday.
We didn't go to Half Dome only the top of Nevada Falls. The weather was a lot cooler than the Bay Area, but was quite warm toward the afternoon.
Pictures forthcoming.
Mike
I was going up the trail from Happy Isles on Friday morning. At 9 am there was a ranger taking down the "CABLES ARE DOWN" sign at the trailhead, he verified that the cables were up as of Thursday.
We didn't go to Half Dome only the top of Nevada Falls. The weather was a lot cooler than the Bay Area, but was quite warm toward the afternoon.
Pictures forthcoming.
Mike
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Re: Cables are up!! May 17, 2008 08:33PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 141 |
Thanks for the report Mike, I hope it's a lot cooler up there than it's been here (near San Luis Obispo), as we're going up Sunday for a Monday Half Dome visit. At least the elevation helps, and we should be headed down by the hottest part of the day.
Any mosquito problem yet? I've been worried about the hot weather bringing them out a bit early, but maybe with the season being so dry in the later part, they won't be so bad this year.
Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
Any mosquito problem yet? I've been worried about the hot weather bringing them out a bit early, but maybe with the season being so dry in the later part, they won't be so bad this year.
Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo
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Re: Cables are up!! May 17, 2008 09:23PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 5 |
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