[pct-l] TP or no TP

[Donna "L-Rod" Saufley]

Smooth stones work very well in place of leaves or lichen. Please always carry paper goods out. It's the only way to be sure you leave no trace. I use a Wag Bag disposal bag (not the whole kit).  They are opaque, seal well, and will last for many miles.     

L-Rod


-----Original Message-----
>From: Spring <kjssail at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Nov 20, 2010 2:50 AM
>To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>Subject: [pct-l] TP or no TP
>
>First, for full disclosure, I carry toilet paper.  Every year we have a debate about the virtues and the evils of the dreaded toilet paper.  Indeed, I also find it disgusting to step off the trail and find some old (or worse yet, fresh) TP "blowin' in the wind".  However, I think there are a number of factors that must be addressed before we can come up with a real position on this subject.  I will list a number that I see, in no particular order:
>1.  Does it cause real damage to be stripping leaves and lichen from plants along the trail?
>2.  Is there a problem that is caused by thru hikers (versus the casual day users)?  I know things are often real bad near road crossings, which I would attribute to the casual user, rather than more serious hikers.
>3.  Is it possible to find adequate leaves and lichen in some areas, like where the Joshua trees are predominate?
>4.  There is probably a real difference in the decomposition of what we leave behind and where we are on the trail.  Is the problem in So Cal the same as the problem in the Cascades?
> 
>I am sure there are other questions that should be asked, and answered, before we can really address the problem.  A year or so ago someone wrote of conducting an experiment in their own back yard.  I do not recall if the person was in So Cal or not, but he used his back yard as a toilet area, and then checked on decomposition of TP, etc.  As I remember it, but I might be wrong here, he was the person that wrote extensively on the PPP idea - (Poop, Pee, Puree).  I suppose it could be PPPP, since paper was tossed in there.  
> 
>This sounds sane to me - you do your thing in a respectable hole (off trail and away from water).  First you poop, then you add your paper, then you pee, and finally - and most importantly - you "puree" (mix thoroughly with a stick).  Then you cover with organic matter, and finally with a rock or large stick to discourage rodents.  My understanding is that the combination of all four P's were essential to rapid decomposition.
> 
>I know that most women who are thru hikers don't use paper when they pee, as they might at home.  That again changes significantly with the casual user crowds at the trail heads.  
> 
>Can we set up a series of "trials and experiments" (in So Cal, the Sierras and the Cascades) to determine what policies really work?  Is your backyard available for experiments?
> 
>Spring
>
>
>      
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