[pct-l] Cat Holes a la Colin Fletcher, 1968 in The Complete Walker

[ronm@fallingwater.com (Ronald Moak)]

Kevin writes >> 1. Unless using a mound file, the heat of the fire kills
organic material in
the soil thus retarding plant growth. <<

Several years ago when Charlie posted his original LNT discussion, I posted
a long diatribe about the Laws of Unintentional Consequences. It's in the
AT-L archives if anyone is interested. So I won't repost it here. 

However, in regard to Kevin's comments, one should note that the ecosystem
of the Western United States depends upon fire to remain healthy. The
absence of fire does more damage in the long run. In fact much of the large
fires seen in Montana last summer are due to years of fire suppression. This
suppression prevents the normal small burns that remove accumulated debris.
Overtime the debris continue to build and when we do have a fire it's far
more likely to have major consequences.  

Years ago, I used to burn my TP to remove it. However, these days, I've
switched to the poop, pee and stir method. This has several benefits. First
adding fluid to the poop and TP help breaks up the TP. The TP acts as a
sponge absorbing the fluid and releasing it gradually. Mixing the mess
together incorporates the TP and poop so that the moisture trapped by the TP
is gradually released to microorganism already present.

It has the side benefit that once mixed there is visible evidence of the TP
that most people find objectionable.

If you consider the fact that there is significantly less wood pulp fiber in
the TP than in the duff you're using for cover., it makes no sense to pack
it out. Doing so, is simply for the sake of visual appearance and not for
any  sound ecological reasons. On my trip last summer, I tried to pay
attention to the number of times I've found TP along the PCT. Over the
entire summer, I saw used TP on less than 6 occasions. Considerably less
than the miles of horse shit I had to walk through. 

Ron
--------------------------------------
Ron Moak
Black Diamond Software
www.blackdiamond.com
Phone: 503-430-2303