Old buddy told me to skip the water filter on the John Muir Trail
Back in 2018, a guy named Dave I met at a gear shop swore up and down that the water sources on the JMT were so clean you'd be fine with just a few iodine tablets for emergencies. He'd hiked it twice, so I figured he knew his stuff. First few days were great, clear streams everywhere, no issues. Then about 30 miles south of Reds Meadow, I drank straight from a little creek without even treating it because it looked perfect. Next morning I was sick as a dog, throwing up behind a bush for hours, couldn't keep water down. Lost a whole day and had to slow way down for the next three days. Turns out that section had some beaver activity upstream nobody mentioned. I still think about Dave sometimes when I'm pumping my filter. Anyone else trust bad advice from a confident hiker and regret it?