What Drinking Out Of Cow Troughs Taught Me About Water Filtration

Most of my thru-hikes have been through areas with natural water I can only describe as delicious. My first trail was the Colorado Trail, where early-summer snow runoff gave me flowing streams and ice-cold, crystal-clear water almost the entire way. The same was true for the John Muir Trail.

So, when I set off on a NOBO thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, one of my biggest fears was the water conditions through New Mexico. I’d seen the fearmongering online about algae-filled, carcass-laden cow troughs and was truly worried I wouldn’t be able to force any of it down.

Continue reading to learn more about water filtration, written by Katie Jackson.