no trowel. overturn a rock or log, deposit, cover and walk onOriginally Posted by AeroGuyDC
I did buy one of those "yuppie REI trowels", but I'm planning on buying those snow stakes too. If I'm happy with the stake, the trowel will definitely stay at home.
you don't need either. plenty of "tools" in the woods
I use the forest tools.
Hey, no need to call names.
Gotta go with Wolf on this one.
I mean I know they don't weigh much and they come in sorta handy, but at the end of the day, the orange shovel just looks goofy, period, kinda like those turquoise-blue high-top gaiters.
I see a guy with a trowel and I smile, especially if it's past Virginia.
Evacuating one's bowels while on a hiking trip is not such an involved process that it requires gadgets or tools.
Seriously though, I get the trowel because if I do start a fire, I'd prefer it to be like this:
http://www.survivaltopics.com/surviv...ota-fire-hole/
For me, that also includes a wad of leaves rather than TP that animals sometimes dig up. Personally, I have actually found leaves to work better than TP!I use the forest tools.
I can't find the reference right now, but 6 months back I read a pretty convincing article that said the best thing to do was to leave the "log" on the surface exposed to sunlight, that the bacteria and feces broke down much faster. His argument was that it was more sanitary. Now obviously where you are is important. He said to go 100 feet from the trail and away from any water source. If I was anywhere near a campsite/trail I would bury, but... I can see "let it shine" argument too.
i actually do that more often than not
How often do you have a cat around when you need one?
If I was bushwacking off trail I might leave a steamer above ground. Usually though, in the very least I would cover it with forest litter. I never go within 50 yards of a trail, and I rarely use toilet paper. On the seashore I will go well below tide level, in a remote area, or bury it well off the beach. Winter gets tricky. Important to do it remote in winter. If you poop into a plastic bag, dump the frozen turd someplace remote, but bring the the plastic bag home, or burn it some place remote. I must admit however, there is one plastic bag of turd out there with my name on it. It haunts me to this day. Don't do it.
Ace of Cakes!!!!!!!!!
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
It's what the rest of the animal kingdom does, and I've found many dessicated turds on rocks. Since they're full of mouse bones, I assume they're not hiker turds, but you never know! Personally, I go waaay off trail, drop the bomb, and mix it into the soil with a stick before covering with duff.
I won't go above ground. I've gone rock climbing in an area where illegal immigrants frequently pass thru. Someone left a duce in that canyon and reeked it up something fierce from wall to wall of the canyon. I'd never subject other outdoor enthusiasts to that if I have other options.
Just dig the hole...unless of course there is trajectory involved in which case a trench may be necessary.
Those are probably owl pellets. Owls can't digest the fur and bones to they hack them back up in a nice neat pellet. I have both bought and collected owl pellets for various scout projects and just for my own kids to dissect and learn.
Take almost nothing I say seriously--if it seems to make no sense what so ever it's probably meant as a joke....but do treat your water!
My wife has 7, but she would let me take them hiking
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Alcohol was involved!
That was supposed to be won't not would.
Alcohol was involved!
I dig a cathole and bury my human waste. I have used sticks, stakes and trowels to dig the cathole. One advantage of digging with a stick--you get to leave the stick behind when you are done. If you use a trowel or a stake, you usually have to clean off at least some dirt (or other "matter") from the stake/trowel before putting it back in your pack.
I was hiking on a trail other than the AT this past summer. Right next to a fork in the trail, someone had left a potenially recordbreaking-sized "fecal deposit" above ground--accompanied by an equally impressive amount of used toilet paper (also above ground). A creek was only 30-40 feet away--downhill from the "pile" and the paper. I had previously planned on stopping and having my lunch at that fork in the trail and refilling my water bottles in the creek. I changed my mind when I saw that "masterpiece". I am constantly amazed at the inconsiderate behavior of a small minority of our fellow hikers.
"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White
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