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Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:30 am
by mrchad9
If you agitate it (slide on it, mash it up, etc...) it has a strong scent of watermelon.

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:13 am
by Marcsoltan
tahoecedar wrote:Does anyone have any information about the red algae that grows on snow in the Sierras in the summer? I heard years ago, not to eat pink snow, because it was explained to me that you would have the worst diarrhia you've ever had in your life. I have found it to be true. And that it seems to also give people "fish bowl head" and pneumonia...I would like to find out more about it, but can't seem to find much info so far...???? :oops:


Hey Cedar, "Redwic" has a great article on this phenomenon. Here's the article:

http://www.summitpost.org/exploring-the ... now/640549

enjoy

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:54 pm
by Marcsoltan
tahoecedar wrote:Thanks you guys! But now what I am wondering, is how do you get rid of the diarrhea that comes back every 2 weeks or so??? The organism seems to be traveling around with me... :cry:

That's odd! Have you seen a doctor for that? It seems to me if you just get rid of it, it shouldn't be coming back.

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:57 pm
by mrchad9
I don't know if I would blame it all on the snow just yet- I am not very careful about running water (and especially not careful about running water near pink snow which I encounter at times on Shasta- Hidden Valley has lots of it). Have not had any issue to date.

Obviously the doctors do not seem to be much help (as is often the case). Try to avoid stress, take your mind off of it, and you may find something as simple as that to be somewhat helpful. I tend to believe that much of sickness is mental as much as it is physical.

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:22 am
by boyblue
mrchad9 wrote:If you agitate it (slide on it, mash it up, etc...) it has a strong scent of watermelon.


I've read a lot of books about the Sierra, so I don't remember where I read this, but I know I read somewhere that if you eat the red algae snow, it's harmless and will taste like watermelon. I've never been even remotely tempted to try this...

tahoecedar wrote:And now this year, I ran out of water on a hike and had been reading about how there was no giardia in the Sierras and so thought the water was safe.


It sucks what you've been going through. ...and the symptoms do sound like giardia. I read that the symptoms of giardia will last long after the infection is gone (wonderful, isn't it?). I can testify to that fact... I never had it diagnosed by a physician, but I'm pretty sure that that was what ailed me after drinking untreated water from the Merced River in LYV many years ago. My friend, who was new to Sierra hiking, also got the disease. We were day hiking Clouds Rest. I probably told him something like, "Yeah, it's safe. I drink this stuff all the time." He never hiked with me again. :roll:

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:18 am
by Yeti
Image

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:21 am
by colinr
Steve1215 wrote:.


And that gurgling....is in the large bowel, yes?



.


Well at least it sounds like it is only coming out the rear end.

Image

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:27 am
by MoapaPk
I try to stay away from the lemon snow.

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:36 pm
by Yeti
On topic, I boiled up some red-contaminated snow last week, made up some noodles and freeze-dried potatoes with it. Never felt the least bit queazy.

Re: Pinkish red snow algae

PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 4:15 pm
by DrGranola
This seems to very common in the Boise, Pioneer, Boulder, Smoky and Lost river mountain ranges in Idaho. On a recent climb we found a pool of water in a dry creek bed that was blood red, and we wondered if it could be of the same cause.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_snow