Triad Camping

21 November 2008

To Poocasso Or Not? How to Dispose of Human Waste in the Wilderness

Posted by ErinB under: backpacking; how-to .

It’s natural. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You gotta do it. In fact, if you don’t do your business when you’re camping in the wilderness, you might get sick from holding it in (and wrongfully blame your stove buddy for your stomach pains!).

But it’s not always clear what you’re supposed to do with you poo. Should you make a “Poocasso”, smearing it on a rock exposed to the sun to kill the bacteria? Or is that just something a prankster camp counselor told you when you were 12 and gullible? Leaving it out doesn’t seem very civil. Packing it out doesn’t seem very fun.

If you’re on a multi-day backpacking trip in the backcountry, responsibly disposing of your waste should become second nature to pitching your tent. Remember the old camping adage: Leave only footprints, take only pictures? (Though some images would be best left to the imagination…) It’s time to practice minimum-impact, green camping!

Here’s what you need to know to enjoy your trip to the fullest without harming the environment—aesthetically or bacterially.

• If you’re somewhere with good, dry top soil…

Dig a cathole.

What’s a cathole? It’s a pit for your poo. The hole should be six to eight inches deep, and at least 120 feet away from any water sources, your campsite, or the trail, to avoid bacterial contamination. Use a stick to mix some soil in with the poo to aid decomposition. Then fill the hole with a thick layer of soil so animals won’t easily dig it up.

What you’ll need: a hand trowel.

But how do I wipe?

Many people bury their toilet paper with their feces. This is not generally advised, because animals usually dig up the paper before it decomposes. Pack it out. Or burn it. Or better yet, use nature’s own toilet paper, like a large leaf, a stick, or a smooth rock. (Just make sure you know what poison oak and ivy look like before you wipe!)

• If you’re somewhere with little or no soil, like at high altitude, somewhere rocky, snowy, sandy, in a river canyon, or in a well-traveled area…

Pack it out. Sound gross? Pretend it’s your dog’s poop, get a plastic baggie, turn it inside out, grab the poop, turn it right side out. Double bag it if you want. Or stick it in a pvc tube, as professional rock climbers sometimes do. Just don’t make a “mud falcon”, a term professional rock climber Greg Child coined for the flying paper bags of poop climbers used to drop from way up high. Nobody wants to inadvertently break that sucker’s fall!

Or…

Poocasso! Yes, in trying to prank you and your friends, your camp counselor was actually talking of an accepted method of backcountry waste disposal—IF (big IF!) you are in an extremely remote area with little topsoil, like at high altitude, above the tree line.

To properly poocasso, use a stick or another rock to smear your poop on a flat rock that will be exposed to a lot of sun. The idea is that the sun will quickly kill the bacteria in the poop. Extra points for creating an abstract painting worthy of a museum exhibition!

In conclusion, doing your business in the backcountry is nothing to be squeamish about. In fact, it’s one of the unsung joys of camping. Bury it, pack it out, or paint it according to your location.

Not only will you be blessed with a sense of calm and accomplishment from living green and protecting your environment, but you’ll also have some great stories for the campfire! If you dare to share…

But please, no pictures!

For more information on disposing of human waste in the backcountry, read this excellent article by Lindsay Watkins.

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