[pct-l] poopy rocks

[Judith G]

Hi Amanda!

I think your reaction to the notion of poopy rocks is quite normal  
and understandable... However, I'd like to chime in with some  
information you might not be aware of.

Some background, first:  Each member of my family, two adults and  
three children (now all adults themselves), is an Outward Bound  
alumnus.  The kids each did a 30 day OB course as teenagers, and then  
my husband and I did a 30 alpine mountaineering course in the San  
Juan Mountains at the ages of 50 and 52 respectively.  On Outward  
Bound courses, Leave No Trace is strictly adhered to.  That means no  
soap, shampoo, deodorant or (gasp) toilet paper.  (The only ones  
allowed toilet paper or Wet Ones are menstruating females, but at my  
age I was not included in that group!).

We were taught, literally, How to Shit in the Woods.  And we did so,  
absolutely by the book.  We learned to use stones, sticks, leaves,  
snow ... and snow, by acclamation, was the absolute favorite of  
everyone.  Where, how, how deep to dig the cat hole (except way above  
timberline where one correctly smears one's feces thinly on the flat  
side of a south facing rock to be quickly composted by sunlight,  
because there are insufficient organisms in the soil to break down  
organic matter), how to cover it, and then perform scrupulous hand  
hygiene.  The very best stones to use were water-smoothed and water- 
washed river stones (believe me, there was a terrible price to be  
paid for using a stone that had sand clinging to it).  But one  
learned to put a couple of stones in one's pack or pocket, at the  
time of refilling one's water bottle at a stream, for later use ...  
way way way away from the water.  The cathole is always to be dug and  
used far away from campsites and water sources, and the poopy stone  
or stick or leaves are buried in the cat hole.  It is 15 years since  
my OB course and training, and I now carry toilet paper (which I  
NEVER bury), but sometimes for old times' sake I pick up a smooth  
stone or two, or harvest a couple of large soft leaves, and "do it  
the Outward Bound Way."

The average hiker who has never done an Outward Bound or NOLS course  
and had to do without TP for two to four weeks (!!!!) probably has a  
hard time imagining that this can be liberating and satisfying.  By  
the fourth week, there is no longer a sense of deprivation or anxiety  
about "doing without" all the comforts and amenities that normal  
people, including most backpackers, "don't leave home without."  I  
can understand that, because on my first day of the Outward Bound  
course, when we were told "how it  was going to be," I  
hyperventilated quite a bit.  We were already way out in the woods at  
that point and quitting was not a really viable option, but I was  
having grave doubts about being successful at this business of  
roughing it.  By the end of the third or fourth day, we were all  
feeling pretty comfortable with it.  Nonetheless, I never EVER  
contemplated using a pine cone.  The very thought makes me shudder.   
No sticks with bark, of course, either.  Yes, indeed, snow is the best.

Happy Trails,

Two Legs

On Oct 29, 2008, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:01:15 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Amanda L Silvestri <aslive at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [pct-l] poopy rocks
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID: <714051.7571.qm at web82203.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Hum...? and you collect enough smooth rocks from the stream bed to  
> take care of business and... you transport all of these rocks 100  
> or more feet away from the stream bed so as not to let any poop get  
> into the stream.?? I can't help but wonder about the difference  
> between theory vs actual practice.?
> ?
> After hiking however many miles and likely delaying responding to  
> the growing need to react to the feeling, you are going to stop,  
> set down your pack et. al., hunt around for enough of the right  
> size and shape rocks and haul them all (involving how many trips?)  
> the safe distance away, oh yea, I have no problem believing this  
> story.? I'm sorry, I don't mean to insult anyone, perhaps a few of  
> you do this the right way but it just sounds a bit far fetched to  
> me.? I will stick (no pun intended) with good old TP.? :)
> ?
> Amanda
> ?
> ?