Dispose of Waste Properly

 I spent the last two weekends immersed in eco-consciousness. Between the Fort Collins Sustainable Living Fair and the Mountain Harvest Festival in Paonia, I learned a lot and am completely encouraged by strides being made toward sustainability in both of these places and all over the country. We all have a part to play in ensuring a quality of life for generations to come and one thing we can all do to improve our world...is manage our poop.

 You've probably heard the adage "Pack it in, Pack it out" before and although that most certainly applies to garbage waste and can apply to body waste, in most areas there are other sensible methods of that kind of disposal.

Solid human waste...you know what I'm talking about here, people...should be buried in almost all back country circumstances. I know it's tempting to just find an out of the way spot off the trail and do what you need to do but can you just imagine what our wild places would look like-and smell like- if everyone did that. Okay, let's stop imagining that now. sick. Here's what you should do:
* Always pack TP and a Trowel, even on day hikes
* If you're camping, find your toilet spot BEFORE YOU NEED IT
* Find a spot for your personal restroom. It should be at least 200 feet from any water source, campsite or trail.
* Once you identify your spot, go ahead and dig a 6-8" deep cat hole. Cat holes can take 10 minutes to dig depending on the soil and this is not something you'll want to contend with when your coffee kicks in, making it more likely that you'll just go wherever you make it to. Consider what we talked about in Plan Ahead and Prepare.

* When it's time to do your...ahem...business, simply head to your prepared spot with your trowel and do your thing
* Now, some of you are going to cringe at this next part. Its purpose is to promote the breakdown of what you just contributed to the earth. Take a stick and well, stir your poop into the dirt. If you absolutely cannot fathom being able to do this without throwing up, just going in the cat hole is better than nothing. This mixing process though, is ideal for decomposition. The stick can just be thrown further off trail.
* Finally, use your trowel to replace the soil and even plants on top of your spot. Maybe spread some pine needles or leaves around so it really look as if it's a completely undisturbed area.
* Always pack out your toilet paper. There was some information going around for a while that it was okay to bury it. It's not. It should always be packed out.

VOILA! You just successfully pooped in the woods, in a way that no man or animal could find. Congratulations!

Some areas, such as arid mountain terrain or river ways, do require that you pack out ALL of your waste. My friends who paddle rivers a lot often brag about how great river rats are about disposing of their poop-they pack it out! When I've been on mountaineering trips, the soil cannot breakdown body waste, so it must be packed out in Wag Bags:

If you only need to pack out TP, I recommend either a ziploc bag or a nalgene covered in duct tape for discreet removal. I have a Nalgene I wrap in duct tape (then I don't need to pack extra duct tape either for repairs etc). You can decorate your duct tape with something sassy like a skull and crossbones to avoid confusing it with WATER bottles. Keep it handy so it's easy to grab when its time to duck into the woods.

A few other, equally important notes on disposing of waste:
* You should also pack out any food waste (don't bury it) and trash, including spilled foods around your campsite.
* If you can manage it, do us all a favor and pack out any trash you find that isn't yours too.
* Your dog and its waste should be treated no differently than your own. If your dog poops in the woods, dig a hole and use a stick to push it it. You can pack it out as well but it should never be rationalized that any animals (including ourselves) can just poop in the woods and its natural to leave it. It's not. Deer don't take medications that can find their way into water systems.  They also don't eat oreos.
* Peeing in the woods can have an effect too. Often, animals that crave salt will find human urine and use the area as a salt lick. Men, pee on the ground, not on trees or vegetation, This way, in the event that an animal is seeing a salt lick, they won't destroy vegetation to get at the minerals. Who knew, right?
* To wash yourself, move 200 ft from water sources and use only small amounts of Biodegradable soap (such as CampSuds or Dr. Bronners). When I was a kid, we all thought it was fine to take normal shampoos etc into lakes and basically take a bath. This is horribly polluting to the water and all that depends on its health. Please don't ever make the same mistakes I did in this regard. I hate that I contributed pollution to the Boundary Waters, even in ignorance.
* To wash dishes: again be 200 ft from water sources and try to use minimal amounts of water. Hint: if you boil water in your pots/pans, they'll be a lot easier to clean. Water should be strained to catch all food waste. That waste should be packed out with all other trash. Strained dishwater may be scattered over an area of vegetation (not dumped into streams/lakes). If you're in bear country, I would recommend scattering FAR away from anywhere you're sleeping. :)

Be thoughtful about what you're doing. Plan ahead- even the most stubborn junior-higher can't hold it forever. Just ask yourself, what would Greenzo do?