Drank water from a waterfall - guess who’s now sick

[Mynewparasitefriend]

Me. It’s me obviously

Was hiking with enough water - got around half way through and realised my backpack was dripping.

Stopped and opened it and most of my water had leaked out. I was miles from anywhere and in stupid heat. Decided to finish my hike and then take a detour on the way back to a village. By the time I got 3/4 of the way round I was so thirsty and hot and still miles out from the village.

Came across the waterfall and I know (I know) not to drink from outside water but in my defence it was really fast flowing and completely clear.

Probably drank 400-500 mls

5 hrs later and my stomach is like a washing machine. Exactly how sick am I going to be?

Quite literally, unfortunately.

Our daughter lives just across the road from a vast, sandy beach that regularly draws in thousands of visitors throughout the summer. Too nervous to take her little one to play on it because of the incredibly high number of water quality warnings. Literally, don’t bathe here because of raw sewage spills signs.
They stretched themselves a bit to buy the house for a lovely location for their child that they now can’t use.

I can’t remember where I got mine from, I want to say Amazon? You can probably get them cheaper elsewhere though just from a search there’s a couple of places cheaper. I have the squeeze version it’s amazing, I fit it on a plastic bottle and have the bags as back up.

This is what I was thinking.

Not ideal but what was the least worst option at the time?

I think that in your situation, most people would do the same.

Maybe a dead sheep upstream.

@Mynewparasitefriend I hope you are feeling better or, if feeling poorly, getting some medical care.

I truly feel that anyone who camps or hikes or even goes on long day trips out in the countryside, should carry some type of water filter, water purification tablets or even a purification straw. One never knows what can happen at anytime.

Even having them at the house is a smart move. If something were to happen to a fresh water supply, having a filter, tablets, etc., could save your life and the life of your loved ones.

I have sample!

My bottle wasn’t broken, the lid had flipped up and it was emptying in my bag

I filled my bottle from the waterfall - it’s still half full

Buy one of these to carry next time www.amazon.co.uk/LifeStraw-LSPHF017-Personal-Water-Filter/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=ast_sto_dp_puis

What was upstream of the waterfall? Nothing? You might be ok- but if it is sheep you might be in trouble. I’m thinking liver flukes. Speak to your gp.

Have you never heard of Weil's disease?
Never assume wild water in this country is potable. Boil it to buggery and make a nice cup of tea.☕

It's been a really hot day, so it could be heatstroke - that can cause horrible stomach issues. Or it could be the water.
It's good you've got a sample.
See how you go overnight - hydrate and replace electrolytes, seek urgent medical attention if you need to. Then see how you feel in the morning and act accordingly.
Some waterborne bugs are pretty mild and self limiting, others are more of a concern.
Coke unfortunately does nothing other than provide fluids.

@Mynewparasitefriend please get med attention for this. Parasites don't work their way out.

No one here can say exactly how unwell you will get.

Ultimately all you can do is seek medical assistance if you feel you need it.

Bodies are resilient to a certain extent and the washing machine sensation might be your body naturally expelling it to prevent you becoming properly unwell.

This.

And get a better water bottle. Hope you have a lucky escape.

I’m Scottish and I climb the Munro’s. General rule is if the water is free running then it’s fair game to drink it. Never been sick. Your first mistake was choosing a day with high temps to go hiking

That’s such bad luck, and also a disgusting indictment of our watercourses.

Unfortunarly even if there wasn’t a dead sheep upstream, it’s entirely possible there was agricultural run off or the remnants of a sewage spill/ discharge.

If you don’t feel better soon, then make sure to get to the GP for a sample as there are so many things that can cause GI upset, including Lepto, E Coli, cryptosporidium, giardia, it’s endless really.

most of my water had leaked out. I was miles from anywhere and in stupid heat. Decided to finish my hike and then take a detour on the way back to a village.

Why would you do that?

We were in llanberis earlier this year. Had a paddle and a splash about downstream from the waterfall.
As we walked further upstream we came across the stereotypical dead sheep 🤢🤢
Urgh.

Hiking 101 is also take a purification method, ie, tablets, with you.

A Grayl water filter bottle could have been perfect there - maybe next time?

It does sound like one of those situations where you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. Sometimes you just need the water, and have to worry about how clean it is later (see also: washing corrosive substances out of eyes).

This has been an informative post op. As an aside on august 17 2021 a mum dad baby in a carrier and their dog all died while hiking in California due to the very high heat. The mum survived the longest and was found some distance from the rest of her family. The wildfires had killed off much of the tree canopy and rescuers/ forensics speculated they had overestimated the amount of shade. The temps altho tolerable at outset dramatically rose and they did not have enough water something like one bottle each found empty near their bodies. I don’t know how to link but a simple google will pop the story right up.
I’m glad you are home safe and I hope well soon

you must be very uneducated to hike in heat.

proles: stay home

I think you’ve been unlucky there as my DS for various reasons has ingested water from various rivers and water bodies around the UK (never much but often more than you would when just brushing your teeth) and never been sick from it. This thread is going to make me even more vigilant to try to prevent it though.
I hope you feel much better soon. If in doubt I’d go to A and E, though I know it’s a huge pain.

What a stupid comment

In the UK?? It’s been about 25C. She was in Dorset, not Death Valley