Episode 67 | How to Poop in the Woods (Skills and Tools for Backcountry Pooping)
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Summary
In this skills short episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast, Andrew and Ryan talk sh**, a.k.a, 💩.
How to poop in the woods? It’s an age-old question, particularly as popular backcountry sites become more crowded.
This episode addresses the question of how long poop takes to decompose and suggests alternative LNT-approved methods (beyond catholes) for dealing with human waste.
Outline
- 0:00:00 – podcast introduction
- 0:01:14 – the old ways of waste disposal in the backcountry and their issues (does poop decompose?)
- 0:04:39 – why include a trowel in your kit
- 0:06:01 – wag bags
- 0:10:24 – hygiene in the backcountry
- 0:13:58 – final thoughts: preventing GI distress through hygiene
Resources
- Ryan talks more about his backcountry bidet system in podcast Episode 50 | Listener Q & A.
- Read this interview with the inventor of an iconic backcountry trowel.
- Mark Wetherington has written several articles recently at Backpacking Light covering Leave No Trace skills, specifically in winter and natural hot spring environments, which include more thoughts on waste disposal and management.
- Check out this forum:
- 💩.
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Credits
- Executive Producer - Backpacking Light; Show Director and Host - Ryan Jordan; Producer - Chase Jordan; Theme music: Look for Me in the Mountains written by Chris Cunningham and Ryan Jordan, performed by Chris Cunningham (acoustic guitar, lead and harmony vocals, harmonica), Chad Langford (upright bass), and Tom Murphy (mandolin), produced by Basecamp Studios in Bozeman, Montana.
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