My water filter died at 11,000 feet on the John Muir Trail, here's what saved the trip

Tbh I never thought much about backups until last September on the JMT past Muir Pass. My Sawyer clogged up completely with glacial silt around day 6 and I had 20 miles to the next resupply at Red's Meadow. I panicked for a second, then remembered I packed a tiny pack of aquatabs as an emergency. Mixed them in every liter for two days straight and it tasted like chlorine but kept me moving. That little strip of tablets weighed less than an ounce and cost maybe $4 at REI. Has anyone else had a filter fail mid-route and had to switch to chemical treatment? I'm curious if iodine tabs work better for that cloudy water.

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hart.reese20d ago

And it’s funny how the stuff you almost leave behind ends up being the thing that saves you, same with my spare tire in the desert last month.