Chesno Giardia

So, two days ago I was on one of our little "walking" trips as my co-worker likes to call them. He is quite the fit fellow and his favourite activity to do is go walking. So, to him, hiking is like "extreme walking". [I've used too many quotation marks already in this entry. I will try to control myself from now on.]

So, we are out for work surveying, he for plants, I for wildlife. We are on a 7 hour hike in 90+ degree (F) weather that takes us across MANY canyons, up and down, and up and down again and again.

About 4.5 hours or so into this, I run out of water. We were close to a small remote stream fed by snow melting high above us, so I figured if my choices were to hike for another 2.5 hours in that weather without water, or drink from a stream, I would drink. And drink I did. The water was cold and clear. At least on the macroscopic level.

I don't know what was there in the microscopic level. Could there have been a dead deer laying in the stream half mile up? Could a bear doing one of its famous poops in the woods happen to choose the stream as its location? Could I have just ingested giardia?

We'll see. Giardia has a 7-10 incubation period. Come next Tuesday if I am doubled over with terrible diarrhea and stomach pains, the answer will most likely be, "yes". However, I could probably use the time off of work.