Episode 133 | Human Waste Management

Ryan, thank you for this. All of my backpacking is in bio-rich areas of the US South almost always below tree line. But many of the places are getting more traffic, and I am wanting to get out West for a different scene. One item I have seen is from PACT Outdoors, specifically the mycelium tabs. I’m hesitant to use something that may bring a natural item into a habitat where it may not be native. I do wonder if the added benefit of jumpstarting the decomposition is outweighed by introduction of a new fungi to the environment. I’m far from a scientist and really can’t “do my own research” with any expectation that it will be bulletproof. Has anyone had experience with these, specifically in bior-ich areas?

I don’t use the PACT tablets for primarily the same reason. Not being a scientist, I err on the side of caution.

Great podcast. Thank you for the advocacy. I feel woke. In other words, I learned something useful.

No easy answers here.  I am not inclined to worry about introducing new organisms into a specific environment.  Each has evolved in its own specific environment with its own complement of companion organisms, soil type, Ph level, temperature, rainfall, etc, and is unlikely to be able to establish itself in a totally new environment.  The possibility of introducing new chemicals, e.g. birth control pills, OTC drugs, RX drugs, micro plastics, etc, is however, a matter of concern I had not previously considered.  Tough choices ahead as increasing number of humans venture farther and farther into the backcountry.

The Colorado trail is ~500 miles with ~500 thru hikers and takes ~35+ days to complete. If each hiker digs 34 catholes. 34 CH x 500/500= 34 catholes per mile of trail per year, if it were spread out and there were only thru hikers. IDK. What’s grosser? Meeting someone on trail with a well contained bag of poop or walking through it? Digging into it. Sleeping over it. No thanks.

When I first saw the subject matter, I thought, “This is going to be a snoozer.” But then it completely changed my mind. It made me think deeply about a topic I never would have considered before. Ryan, keep pushing into these weird corners. It’s compellingly interesting.

Ryan, keep pushing into these weird corners. It’s compellingly interesting.

Ditto!  The recent weather-forecast podcast was enlightening and a great all around nerd-out.  Please keep those coming!

I was fascinated by Ryan’s effort thesis earlier this summer (beyond just calories) but that one requires a thoughtful protracted deep dive to digest, better done when the world is covered in slush

Ryan: thanks for the leadership on this issue, plus sharing your system in the linked Dispatch–makes it seem more feasible!

Question on your linked Sept 7 Dispatch: you quote “extensive reduction in fecal indicator bacteria was observed in only the arid and alpine environments” (Ells & Monz, 2011). Isn’t extensive reduction a good thing? What am I missing here? Thanks!

Surface disposal of human waste by the smear method, a suggested but heretofore unexamined technique, was tested in three environments and examined for reductions in fecal mass and fecal indicator bacteria. Substantial reduction in fecal mass was observed after six and fourteen weeks of exposure in all environments, but extensive reduction in fecal indicator bacteria was observed in only the arid and alpine environments. Although surface smears appear favorable to cathole techniques in terms of indicator bacteria reduction, the application of this method is limited by several other factors common to backcountry sanitation situations. It is therefore likely that surface disposal would only be applicable in very remote, low use, alpine and arid settings where lack of soil development precludes the use of catholes and carry-out techniques are otherwise impractical.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21168261/