XC Skiing: A Fun Way to Get Active
February 23rd, 2021
Water is essential to our survival so whether you are hiking for a day or camping for a week, knowing how to create safe drinking water is a skill you need to know. There are multiple ways to obtain water in the wilderness, here are three ways to purify water so it is safe to drink.
One tried and true way to purify water is through boiling. People have been detoxifying water through the methods of boiling since the beginning of time. It’s still our preferred method for purifying water today because it actually works. It takes about 10 minutes total to get water to boil (depending on your heat vs climate temperature ratio, it can be longer or shorter).
For this purification method here is what you will need to do: put a pot of water over stable fire, let the bubbles roll for about 5 minutes before you get the pot off the fire. Once this is done, allow the water to cool for about 5 minutes before drinking it.
Boiling works best for water that is not clean but is clear. This is because boiling is effective against microorganisms but might not be effective against dirt. For this reason, it is highly advisable to use other methods in combination with boiling if the only source of water you have contains dirty water.
Filtration is another reliable way to purify water to drinking conditions. Sand filtration is one of the simplest ways to clean your water. You will need:
Follow these steps:
Sand filtration is an easy, cost-effective method for filtering debris and other contaminants.
Purification tablets or drops are a successful way to kill bactiera in water. The main ingredient in these tablets and drops is usually potassium permanganate, iodine, or chlorine, (chlorine being the most common.)Drops and tablets are usually made to be used for 20 litres of water. Follow these steps in order to purify water in the wilderness using this method.
Before you begin, check the instructions that came with the tablets or drops for the number of litres to which you will be adding the tablet or drops. If possible, have a container of that size available.
Text: Michelle Custodio.