Urinating on or near the trail

[Zachanonymous]

I am a hepatitis B carrier, so my concern is for the water table, although supposedly the virus can only live outside the body for about 7 days, how safe is it to take a leak out on the trails if there are no facilities around. Also how far is the requirement to urinate away from sources of water.

[TNhiker]

Also how far is the requirement to urinate away from sources of water

i believe LNT is 200 feet away from water sources......

[blw2]

I was just reading a sign a few weeks back in the back country office at the Grand Canyon, titled "Dilution is the Solution" Apparently in the canyon, they prefer you to pee in the river rather than the beach.....
That doesn't really seem to consider a Hep virus carrier....???
Yeah, I guess the polite thing to do would be to get as far out of the way as possible....kick some dirt over it if you can maybe????

I really have no idea, but
great question....and I want to thank you for asking it!!!!

For what its worth I've always taught my son to as much as possible pee in a bush, briar vine, or someplace where others are not likely to ever walk or go....or lay their stuff

[imscotty]

This is thoughtful of you to ask, I've done a little Googleing and it appears that infection through urination would be unlikely. I can also verify that in the Grand Canyon the pee bucket gets dumped in the same river you draw your drinking water from. No harm seems to come from that.

Still, why take chances? I think BLW's advice of peeing where no one would ever want to walk is good.

[Zachanonymous]

Noted, it's not often I'm on a secluded trail without modern ameneties, but I was planning a bike trip with my dog and not sure how that will go seeing as I'm a stickler for staying hydrated.

[egilbe]

Hepatitis is mostly a blood borne pathogen, isn't it? Think the risk from urine is pretty much non-existant. Europe has such a prevalent waterborne virus issue because of all the wars fought and the people slaughtered there throughout history. That is definitely blood soaked ground.

[BuckeyeBill]

According to LNT Principles you should be 200feet (about 70 steps) from water sources, your camp and the trail.

[OCDave]

I am a hepatitis B carrier, so my concern is for the water table...

Control who is exposed to blood and Semen, no evidence of HepB spreading via any other bodily fluids. Pee Free!

[tdoczi]

Control who is exposed to Semen

now theres a potential thread topic i dont believe we've ever dove into here on whiteblaze.

[Starchild]

According to LNT Principles you should be 200feet (about 70 steps) from water sources, your camp and the trail.

That is for solid waste, pee in not addressed in backcountry hiking LNT guidelines.

[tdoczi]

That is for solid waste, pee in not addressed in backcountry hiking LNT guidelines.

how about semen?

[egilbe]

how about semen?

Only in port

[TNhiker]

That is for solid waste, pee in not addressed in backcountry hiking LNT guidelines.

Heres what I was using as the 200 foot reference..

https://lnt.org/about/faq/can-i-urin...y-water-source

[BuckeyeBill]

That's the same site I was using. But the second sentence includes both liquid waste and grey water/waste water. While we are both correct in or answers, yours mainly applies to places like the Grand Canyon with a large river flowing through it. I have hike the Grand Canyon a few times and it is very hard to travel 200 feet from the river. YMMV

[BuckeyeBill]

To Zachanonymous:

Just follow LNT Principles and you should be okay. If you want, you can poor water on it to help dilute it.

[imscotty]

To Zachanonymous:

Just follow LNT Principles and you should be okay. If you want, you can poor water on it to help dilute it.

I believe the boy scouts teach their young campers to 'write their names in cursive' to keep it from being concentrated in one spot.

Wait a second, kids don't know how to write in cursive anymore...

[blw2]

I believe the boy scouts teach their young campers to 'write their names in cursive' to keep it from being concentrated in one spot.
...

That's a new one for me! never heard that one.

regardless, in the context of this post I would think it would be better to not spread it around, to reduce chances of someone coming into contact with the virus....

[MuddyWaters]

Technically you should pee on rocks and durable surfaces

This keeps animals from destroying vegetation or trees for the salts

Not a big problem in appalachians, but a real issue out west where vegetation is. Sparser

[Deadeye]

It's just peein'

[Sarcasm the elf]

I believe the boy scouts teach their young campers to 'write their names in cursive' to keep it from being concentrated in one spot.

Wait a second, kids don't know how to write in cursive anymore...

Well played