Before I left for Orizaba I was concerned about getting safe water in Mexico. I’ve been sick on a few mountains before. I didn’t want to risk this summit on bad water. I went to Orizaba in 2008 and was too weak and inexperienced to finish. I felt ready this time. I have been using the Purificup Water Purifier. It’s small convenient and easy to use.
To ensure safe water in Mexico I packed my Purificup with my other gear before I left. I usually pack it in a neoprene bicycle bottle cover. It’s the right size, and can help prevent bangs, scratches, and freezing. Here I wrote about how to prepare and how to use the Purificup. I was very impressed with the way it provided safe water in Argentina when I attempted Aconcagua.
Safe water in Tlachichuca Mexico
My friend Todd and I used Servimont, an Orizaba logistics company in Tlachichuca. We stayed in their bunkhouse. Across the courtyard from the lodge is a bath house with sinks. I went to make safe water in Tlachichuca with my Purificup. I set my Nalgene on the nearly level window sill and removed the caps from the Purificup. The filter unit fits over the wide mouth bottle. I filled the dirty water cup from the faucet and set it atop the filter, then walked away to do other stuff while gravity did its thing.
In the meanwhile, Todd used his pump filter unit. He filled an empty one quart poly sports drink bottle with dirty water. He stuck the hose from the filter into that bottle, and the other end of the hose into his Nalgene. He started pumping.
I went back and forth sorting my gear and filling the cup at the top of the Purificup. Three nearly-full cups is a liter of water in the Nalgene. It takes only a few minutes per cup, and the best part is it can be done without any intervention or attention. In no time I had two full Nalgenes.
Todd on the other hand was still pumping away. And getting warm in the sun from his efforts. After he was done he still had to catch up on the gear sorting I’d been able to do in between fills of the Purificup.
Long story short I was able to get four liters of water ready for our first day on the mountain. Sadly, or happily as the case may be, we managed to hit the summit within 30 hours of arriving at base camp. Otherwise I was going to test the Purificup with the surface and irrigation water. Probably a lot like the water on Aconcagua I expect. A normal trip to Piedra Grande base camp at 14,000′ on the route to the 18,500′ summit of Orizaba spends about 3-4 days acclimatizing before the summit.
After we returned home, Todd said he needs to check out the Purificup for his future climbing trips.