Originally Posted by
hikelite
I hope I'm misreading this. You're planning to just drink from the canal with no treatment?
It's not the taste and texture you should worry about. The water could make you sick. If you don't want to invest in a water filtration system of some sort, you can buy tablets to at least kill the bad things. They are inexpensive and lightweight. I always carry some when I'm backpacking, but they are only my backups as I also carry a filter.
No, I was planning on filling up at wells, which are safe for drinking. I do not plan on drinking water from the canal itself. I'm not that stupid!
http://www.nps.gov/archive/choh/Recreation/Camping.html
http://bikewashington.org/canal/plan-food.php
I'll have the capability of storing/carrying over a gallon of water, so even if wells are closed along the way, I can fill up in one of the canalside towns.