Apocalypse Tips #2 - Water
So, you’ve patched up your scrapes and cuts, but you used up the last of your water to whip up that garlic poultice you slapped on. Being out of water is not a good idea; how exactly do we fix that? Here are a few suggestions, but we urge you to do your own research and seek out the appropriate training before attempting them.
Puddles
Whether it’s a rain filled pothole or Lake Ontario itself, the rules remain the same:
How does the water look? Is it oily? Scummy? Filled with alligators? None of these are good, keep moving.
Do you see animal bones around it? Are plants growing around it? Animal bones and no plants likely points to some sort of pollution… keep moving.
Do you see a mineral crust around the edge of the water? That’s likely a no-no and points to the water being alkaline in some way. Great for washing clothes but not so much for drinking.
If your puddle has vegetation, no bones or crust and isn’t a scummy mess, scoop some up and skip down to the Fire and Filter section.
Seawater
No.
Birds, Bees and Good Old Rain
Birds often fly low when they are heading towards water and make only short hopping flights once they are full of said water. Pigeons and other small grain eating birds are your best bets here. Insects are also great indicators. Bees rarely stray far from their hives and the hives are never too far from water. Ants climbing a tree are almost always in search of water. And flies also never stray far from some sort of water source.
Rain is possibly the best way to gather large quantities of decently clean water (depending on local air pollutants) but you need containers and capturing mechanisms to make it worthwhile. Or you could stand outside with a few clean t-shirts on and then wring them out later. Rainwater1
Morning Dew
The dew that condenses on plants in the mornings under the right conditions is typically safe to drink, the problem here lies in how you gather any more than enough to wet your lips a little.
Best idea: have a sterile cloth in your possession that you soak up the water with, then wring the water into a container. This may require a few cloth-loads of dew to produce anything substantial but it's low energy and very easy on other resources and skills needed.
Silly idea: wrap your ankles with cloths as well and then walk through dew-covered grass as you travel or otherwise do something else. Stylish, effective and kind of lazy; perfect!