How to shit in the woods

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How to shit in the woods

Postby Florian » Sun May 04, 2014 6:44 pm

Maybe i've been doing it wrong all along. Haven't read the book yet .. http://is.gd/NSSQFs

-Florian
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Postby zippetydude » Sun May 04, 2014 9:20 pm

Maybe she gives pointers for the Whitney zone splat mat.

z
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Postby Sally » Wed May 07, 2014 8:57 am

My sister used to own a sporting goods store in Port Townsend, Washington, and "How to Shit in the Woods" was one of her best-selling books.
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Postby bluerail » Tue May 20, 2014 11:29 am

There have been a few things in my life I've been able to do with having to read a book on it.

This is one of them
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Postby Hikin_Jim » Tue May 20, 2014 2:02 pm

I've got a copy if you want to borrow it, Florian. It's mostly good albeit a bit over the top and it perpetuates the myth that one should pack out toilet paper.

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Postby Florian » Tue May 20, 2014 7:15 pm

Hikin_Jim wrote:It's mostly good albeit a bit over the top and it perpetuates the myth that one should pack out toilet paper.

I always pack out my toilet paper. I sometimes even pack out other people's toilet paper.

-Florian
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Postby Mike P » Tue May 20, 2014 7:35 pm

Hikin_Jim wrote:I've got a copy if you want to borrow it, Florian. It's mostly good albeit a bit over the top and it perpetuates the myth that one should pack out toilet paper.

HJ

Hmmm. now that piques my interest.

Jim, please expand on the "myth". Thanks!
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Postby Hikin_Jim » Tue May 20, 2014 10:55 pm

The myth is that somehow packing out your TP is beneficial to the environment. The studies I've read indicate that TP breaks down really quickly and is indistinguishable from the surrounding soil within a year or so.

The other myth is that animals are attracted to the salts in feces and will dig up TP to get at the salts. If that were true of course, animals would be digging up the fecal matter just as often as they dug up TP. Neither in fact occurs, at least in California (maybe it does elsewhere although I've never heard of it actually being documented).

In short, there's no reason not to bury your TP, assuming you do a reasonable job of it (bury it approx. 6" deep).

The foregoing does not apply to high traffic areas like Whitney or Shasta where I can more or less understand the requirement for Wag-Bags. What I'm saying only applies to areas where it's appropriate to bury your poop. If you're in an area where it's appropriate to bury your poop, there's no valid science based reason to pack out your TP.

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Postby Florian » Wed May 21, 2014 12:19 pm

Jim, i disagree, at least for desert areas. Toilet paper lasts a long time in the desert. Also re animals digging up human poop, they do. There are places in the Anza-Borrego desert i often camp. I poop in a shallow hole, cover it, and take the TP. Often on returning to the same camp months later i will find my poo has been dug up. Maybe in a rain forest you can leave TP but not in arid So Cal.

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Postby Hikin_Jim » Wed May 21, 2014 12:32 pm

I'm basing my statements on a study done in Australia that found that TP buried approximately 15cm (~6") deep in even very dry soils was indistinguishable from its surroundings in about a year. Certain "feminine products" lasted longer, but even those were indistinguishable after 2 years.

That said, I don't have your experience in the desert. So, do you pack out your poop in the desert?

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