OK. I have to ask to see if anyone has the same problem.
Every time I or any of the people I go backpacking with develop diarrhea after the first day or so. I tend to be a little more resistant to it but it happens every time. It does not appear to be tied to water because I filter and treat any water we get. We also don't get any other symptoms of any water borne creatures. The food we take we eat at home regularly so it should be the diet.
Any ideas? I'm stumped. I don't want to take Immodium because then I may not be able to go for days.
I have experienced this ugly problem on occasion too. I believe the cause is as simple as "change of diet." On wilderness trips I eat lots of different foods. I think the sudden infusion of weird foods annoys the intestines of those of us whose guts are a little more finicky than most.
Don't have a solution though. I usually "normalize" after a few days.
One thing you can do is try camping at home. Pick a weekend and then cook your camping meals on your campstove in the backyard. Eat and drink everything you'd normally take camping. If you experience the problem then it's food/drink related. You may be able to find the culpret by eliminating one food at a time.
Be sure to look at what you're drinking. There's a hydration drink I've tried that has a large amount of vitamin C in it. Doing one packet a day is fine but several packets can cause diarhea due to too much vitamin C.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
~ Mark Twain
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