[pct-l] Poopy Rocks?

[Judith G]

>
Hi, Diane,

Per your response to my Outward Bound story, I can tell you that I  
would be pretty upset to come across a rock so smeared also ... I  
wish I hadn't included this comment, or at least indicated that there  
are few ... VERY few instances ... where this would be considered  
best practice.  And that would certainly NOT include any part of the  
PCT!  The only places I engaged in this (once? twice?) during our OB  
course in the San Juans were way way cross country and off trail, in  
predominantly rocky, talusey areas, at very high altitude, 13,000 to  
14,000 feet, ...  in places that might not see a human being more  
than a few times a year.  The extreme ultraviolet light and ultra dry  
air at these altitudes sterilizes and composts the feces in a matter  
of DAYS, turning it into a fine silty dust that the wind then  
scatters among the rocks.  Although I have traveled extensively cross  
country, off trail, in very remote parts of the Sierras in the past  
15 years, I have never been in circumstances there where this  
practice would have been appropriate.

I carry two bandanas when I hike, the left pocket one is for blowing  
my nose, and the right pocket one is my pee cloth for dabbing.  I  
like your idea of the little squirt bottle, I think I will adopt that.

I live near you (Ojai) and I agree that mule ears do not grow in our  
Los Padres backcountry (that I am aware of).  I was enchanted at your  
mention of lambs ears.  I grow these in my garden and love to stroke  
them.  I have often considered how wonderful it would be if they were  
wild growing natives in the mountains behind my home.  I rarely see  
anything back there that I considered useful for the purposes under  
discussion.  The occasional sycamore leaf perhaps.  I am much more  
concerned at the prospect, on a late fall or winter hike, of  
squatting unbeknownst in a little patch of denuded poison oak  
branches and suffering the consequences.

Happy Trails,

Two Legs


> I would be extremely upset were I to come across a rock smeared with
> human waste. I don't care if it comes with the outward bound seal of
> approval. That is just disgusting and wrong. It's not like poop is
> buried deep and covered in plastic like in a landfill. It will
> degrade with the few inches of duff covering it that most people use.
>
> The only reason people find other people's poop and TP is because a
> lot of people are concentrated in small areas, either around the
> trail or in campsites. The only time on the PCT I ever found
> anybody's TP was either near trailheads (I assume those people are
> not thru-hikers) or near Yosemite. Another reason stealth camping is
> good. I usually had to go while on the move.
>
> I know many women will use TP for number 1. Instead of that, I
> recommend carrying a small squeeze bottle and a small scrap of cloth.
> Hose yourself off and dry with the cloth. Store the cloth where
> sunlight will kill the germs while you hike.
>
> Where I live I do not think mule ears will grow. But something called
> lambs ears will grow. I wonder how many acres of those I would need
> to grow to meet my needs? Would it be cost-effective considering a
> lot of water is needed for lambs ears? Is there a drought-tolerant
> alternative? I suppose if I went with native Santa Barbara plants,
> maybe yerba santa, white sage or chamise would work.