[pct-l] Poopy Rocks?

[Donna Saufley]

I've tried rocks and leaves, and they work in a jam (no pun intended).
Personally, I prefer wet wipes for the cleanliness they provide.  Sweat,
germs, and friction are not a good combination, at least not for me, and I
much prefer being clean.  I use a "Wag Bag" to carry out my used wipes --
not the part with the chemical in it where you would actually do your
business, but the bag you're supposed to throw it away in.  It's opaque, and
seals nicely. It folds up neatly and is discreet and odorless.  The wipes
dry out and weigh less than they did wet. Hey, it makes me more comfortable,
so I don't mind carrying the tiny bit of weight.

The Wag Bag is now required on the Whitney Portal Trail, though you have to
actually capture and carry out your feces on that one.  They've removed the
portable toilets, and there are just too many people, even with strict
permitting regulations, to allow the poor hygiene habits people exhibit
(yes, even PCT hikers).  I'll never forget going around a large rock to dig
my cat hole, only to find that someone else, someone very large but not a
bear, hadn't bothered to do the same.  

L-Rod



-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 8:21 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Poopy Rocks?

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.

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