need info please. can't find it and hope you can help.
water: how much should we carry en route to muir?
is there water on that trail?
what is the water resource at muir? (fluffy snow, slush, running?)
is it best to treat with uv and coffee filter, water filter, iodine? how silty is it and can i just drink that down after it's purified?
fuel: what amount of fuel does it take to melt water? i don't have a feel for how much fuel to take.
time: how long does it take a 900' per hour climber from colorado to reach muir (how far is it anyway???) and on summit day?
thanks to those of you who know these things. if I can ever help you with info on colorado peaks just let me know.

tomonmountain wrote:need info please. can't find it and hope you can help.
water: how much should we carry en route to muir?
is there water on that trail?
what is the water resource at muir? (fluffy snow, slush, running?)
is it best to treat with uv and coffee filter, water filter, iodine? how silty is it and can i just drink that down after it's purified?
fuel: what amount of fuel does it take to melt water? i don't have a feel for how much fuel to take.
time: how long does it take a 900' per hour climber from colorado to reach muir (how far is it anyway???) and on summit day?
thanks to those of you who know these things. if I can ever help you with info on colorado peaks just let me know.

Your going to have to melt your snow at camp Muir. The snow consistency is going to depend on the local weather, but that shouldn't matter because you can melt it all.

The amount of fuel you need all depends on the type of stove you have and how long you plan on staying on the mountain. I have found that 20oz of fuel is enough to last me a weekend on the mountain with my MSR SimmerLite stove. Sometimes I will have a friend carry an extra 16oz of fuel (which is way more than enough to get you through a standard route and verging on overkill).

As far as water treatment, I would bring some Iodine tablets and drop those in your melt water. I have never used a UV sterilizing pen, but I'm sure those would work as well.

Getting to Muir shouldn't be a problem, especially if you are acclimatized. However, I would give yourself 7-9 hours from camp to summit and back down. Unlike a straight forward snow climb you have to contend with the crevasse maze. Also, coming down from the summit in the heat can be a complete pain in the ass. The whole thing turns into a sauna and you spend the whole time sinking up to your calves and thighs in slush and cascade cement.

-Good luck!

jordansahls wrote:As far as water treatment, I would bring some Iodine tablets and drop those in your melt water. I have never used a UV sterilizing pen, but I'm sure those would work as well.

Have you tried Aqua Mira drops instead of the iodine tablets? We use these exclusively on large expeditions and it cuts our fuel consumption in half. On my last climb up Aconcagua I used just 1 liter of fuel. No chlorine taste and very easy to use.

http://aquamira.com/consumer/aquamira-w ... ment-drops

Brad Marshall wrote:

jordansahls wrote:As far as water treatment, I would bring some Iodine tablets and drop those in your melt water. I have never used a UV sterilizing pen, but I'm sure those would work as well.

Have you tried Aqua Mira drops instead of the iodine tablets? We use these exclusively on large expeditions and it cuts our fuel consumption in half. On my last climb up Aconcagua I used just 1 liter of fuel. No chlorine taste and very easy to use.

http://aquamira.com/consumer/aquamira-w ... ment-drops

How does switching from Iodine to Aqua Mira cut fuel consumption?

bird wrote:How does switching from Iodine to Aqua Mira cut fuel consumption?

I think he was saying that using chemicals instead of boiling everything reduces fuel consumption.

Hey, Mr. Marshall, or anyone else with experience with aqua mira,
Questions:
What's the wait time from mixing to drinking?
Rei has a product called aqua treatment, I believe, looks about the same, with a wait time of 4 hours, which seems pretty long to me. Is it the same for aqua mira?

How about taste?
Reviewers of the product mentioned that's carried by REI, noted a pretty strong taste, (though less than iodine), that does die down a bit the longer the water sits.
Similar with aqua mira?

Thanks for the responses to this slightly ot to the original post.

Brad Marshall wrote:

jordansahls wrote:As far as water treatment, I would bring some Iodine tablets and drop those in your melt water. I have never used a UV sterilizing pen, but I'm sure those would work as well.

Have you tried Aqua Mira drops instead of the iodine tablets? We use these exclusively on large expeditions and it cuts our fuel consumption in half. On my last climb up Aconcagua I used just 1 liter of fuel. No chlorine taste and very easy to use.

http://aquamira.com/consumer/aquamira-w ... ment-drops

I have seen those in the store but never used them, I guess I should give them a try. You learn something new every day, thanks Brad.

dskoon wrote:Hey, Mr. Marshall, or anyone else with experience with aqua mira,
Questions:
What's the wait time from mixing to drinking?
Rei has a product called aqua treatment, I believe, looks about the same, with a wait time of 4 hours, which seems pretty long to me. Is it the same for aqua mira?

How about taste?
Reviewers of the product mentioned that's carried by REI, noted a pretty strong taste, (though less than iodine), that does die down a bit the longer the water sits.
Similar with aqua mira?

Thanks for the responses to this slightly ot to the original post.

I've used chlorine dioxide pills, and the two-part Aqua Mira system.

The pills are easier to use, but as you said, they require about 4 hours between dropping the pill in, and drinking the water. I typically just gather the water in the evening, and treat it overnight when using pills.

The two part Aqua Mira system is faster, but quite a bit more fiddly: Instructions from the web site.

1) Prior to treatment, clean water container.
2) Place 7 drops AQUAMIRA (Part A) and 7 drops Activator (Part B) in mixing cap. If water is cloudy or tinted use 15 drops of each.
3) Let mixture react 5 minutes.
4) Fill container with 1 quart (1 liter) water. Add contents of cap.
5) Shake to mix. Let stand 15 minutes. If water is very cold, cloudy or tinted let stand 30 minutes.
6) Water is ready for use.


I have found the taste of either one to be almost not noticable, although it is true that the longer you wait, the less after-taste there is.

Kai wrote:

bird wrote:How does switching from Iodine to Aqua Mira cut fuel consumption?

I think he was saying that using chemicals instead of boiling everything reduces fuel consumption.

No he was pretty specific saying switching from Iodine to Aqua Pura saved fuel. Curious how

tomonmountain wrote:need info please. can't find it and hope you can help.
water: how much should we carry en route to muir?
is there water on that trail?
what is the water resource at muir? (fluffy snow, slush, running?)
is it best to treat with uv and coffee filter, water filter, iodine? how silty is it and can i just drink that down after it's purified?
fuel: what amount of fuel does it take to melt water? i don't have a feel for how much fuel to take.
time: how long does it take a 900' per hour climber from colorado to reach muir (how far is it anyway???) and on summit day?
thanks to those of you who know these things. if I can ever help you with info on colorado peaks just let me know.

I know it's nice to get beta before a climb, but I think you're maybe trying a bit too hard to micromanage the details. Given that you're asking how far Camp Muir is, it sounds like you haven't even done any research or consulted a guidebook. I'd start there. As you can tell, the people on this site try really hard to be helpful (even me on occasion). Use their goodwill judiciously.

redneck wrote:Precisely what pathogens are you worried about ingesting from melted snow?

You've clearly never been to Camp Muir.

bird wrote:

Kai wrote:

bird wrote:How does switching from Iodine to Aqua Mira cut fuel consumption?

I think he was saying that using chemicals instead of boiling everything reduces fuel consumption.

No he was pretty specific saying switching from Iodine to Aqua Pura saved fuel. Curious how

Yeah, but. . . Mr. Bird-man, I think you're reading his statement a little too literally. . .
Yea, he did say it, but, I think he clearly meant using drops, iodine or aqua, cuts down on fuel consumption, ie. from boiling snow. Seems to me that he prefers aqua drops over iodine, probably for the better taste, etc. That's all. My interpretation, anyway.

redneck wrote:Precisely what pathogens are you worried about ingesting from melted snow?

I got a pretty gnarly case of giardia from untreated melted snow. It was not fun.