Swamps
Though most people find it hard to believe, I don’t have a problem drinking
unpurified swamp water in North America. It’s not as clean and refresh-
ing as water from a mountain stream, but it will keep you alive, and that,
after all, is the goal. Clearly, filtering and purifying is recommended, but
if you don’t have that capability, as I’ve said before, better to drink than
dehydrate.
The obvious issue with swamps and bogs is that the water tends to
be slow moving and full of muck. But this doesn’t necessarily mean it con-
tains parasites. On the contrary, I’ve drunk water from a clear river that
wreaked havoc on my gastrointestinal system and I’ve drunk water from
swamps with no ill effects.
Obviously, you want to filter swamp water as best you can, to mini-
mize the sediment and dirt you’re ingesting. At a minimum, you should
let it sit for 12 hours, so that the heavier stuff settles.
If you follow a game trail to a swamp, it’s especially important that
you collect your water a good distance away from where the animals con-
gregate and do their business.
As I mentioned in the Coastal Regions section, you can also use the
earth to filter swamp water by digging a pit about 50 feet (15 m) from the
edge of the swamp. The water that fills your pit may still require filtration,
but it should be cleaner than swamp water.
Mountains
Mountains are good sources of water, especially in temperate climates.
Depending on the season, snow and ice may be available for melting or
eating. Snow lingers long into the summer at higher altitudes, particularly
on north-facing slopes and in hollows.
Water courses are fairly obvious on mountains, so it shouldn’t take
more than a few moments of surveying the topography for you to deter-
mine places where there’s a regular flow. Look for deep fissures and valleys
in mountainsides where water accumulates after precipitation. And if all else
fails, follow the mountain down to the nearest valley where you’ll increase
your chances of finding water.
Water | 93