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Tawptuan t1_iy7jgnh wrote

Hurtling along at 50! The good old days!

Raised in Washington here. My first trip back east was when I was 8 in the 1950s. After experiencing mid-west and east-coast summer humidity for the first time in my life, for three sweltering weeks, I felt EXACTLY the same as your grandfather—especially after crossing the Cascades to the natural air conditioning of Western Wa.

The other thing that struck me were the clear, cold, drinkable streams running in little rivulets down the cliffs next to highway 2 in the Cascades. We stopped and drank from them at least 4-5 times. This was pre-giardia days. For 3 weeks, we had seen only brown, muddy water everywhere east of there. Despite the awful humidity in the east, none of us wanted to go swimming where “you couldn’t see your feet.” Coming back to WA, to swim in clear water was luxury again!

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Active-Ad3977 t1_iy8mmke wrote

There was no Giardia before 1950?

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Calamity_Jesus t1_iy8qerk wrote

Out of sight, out of mind. My understanding is that while it has always been prevalent, it wasn't really identified officially as being prevalent in the American wilderness until the 1970s (when researchers went looking for it).

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Tawptuan t1_iyap5oc wrote

Exactly. Interestingly, I freely drank unfiltered wilderness water for 20 years before the 1970 research with no problems. Then added those gagging iodine pills for the next 20, followed by a proper mechanical filter for another 20 yrs. A victim of hyped research and clever marketing? 🤷🏼‍♂️

I guess the sad alternative might have been my epitaph: “Here lies wilderness enthusiast JQ, killed by Giardia at 97 years old.” 🙄

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