Leave No Trace Master Educator Shawn Campbell has spent hundreds of days and nights in the field. Part of enjoying the backcountry is learning to dispose of waste – all kinds of waste – properly. Shawn offers up some valuable tips and tricks on how to s#&t in the woods, the Leave No Trace way.
“You want me to wipe my bum with that?” I asked my instructor incredulously as she handed me a stick. It was day 2 of a 5-day Leave No Trace (LNT) Master Educator Course and we were learning about pooping in the woods – the LNT way.
Before this course, I thought I was pretty well-versed in this art. I’d spent years camping, paddling, and hiking in wilderness areas using outhouses, pit toilets, latrines, and catholes to dispose of human waste. I even went so far as to pack it out on occasion. What I’d never learned (or practiced) was the idea that toilet paper isn’t necessary. Did you know that 70–75% of the world’s population doesn’t use toilet paper? Mind blown. So what should you do instead?
1. Find the right materials
Nature provides lots of materials well-suited to the task. In my LNT course, we used broad leaves and grasses, mosses and old man’s beard, and eventually graduated to rocks and sticks.
Yup, you read that right. But not just any rock or stick will do. Choose rocks that are flat, smooth, and small (but not too small). Sticks should be about one inch in diameter, dry, and free of pokey bits. Rocks and sticks found in and around water sources are ideal. In winter, snow is a great substitute for toilet paper.
By the end of the course, I was learning to enjoy this lost art. The most valuable lesson I took away about wiping materials is to collect them early and often – you don’t want to be caught with your pants down.
If you just can’t live without TP, triple bag your toilet paper and pack it out. Burning it isn’t ideal because of the potential for forest fires. If you must bury it, use as little as possible and bury it deep to avoid attracting wildlife and creating eyesores for other users.
2. Find the right spot
It’s all about location, location, location. Whenever possible, seek out facilities like bathrooms, outhouses and pit toilets. Failing that, dig a cathole 15–20cm deep and at least 60m away from water, camp, trails and drainages. You can use a stick, tent peg, or a trowel to dig (try the GSI Cathole Trowel). Over time, microorganisms in the soil will break down your waste.
In winter, high traffic areas, and places that lack abundant soil for decomposition (like alpine and desert areas), it’s LNT best practice to pack it out. Commercial products like the Restop or Wagbag are one way to pack out waste. Another way is to create your own poop tube out of PVC pipe or a drybag.
3. Know before you go
High-use wilderness areas often have regulations that require users to pack out their human waste. Know the regulations of the places you visit.
Photo credit: Shawn Campbell
For example, Denali National Park has very specific guidelines for disposing of human waste in a mountainous environment. Climbers are required to remove all human waste from historically contaminated areas such as the West Buttress high camp at 17,200ft. To do this, they carry Clean Mountain Cans.
Recently, I was part of a group of SAR volunteers in Australia. Our search area was in Kosciuszko National Park, where park authorities require visitors to use Wagbags, made up of a waste bag, storage bag, toilet paper and hand wipe. These bags work well under optimal conditions, but trying to “make a deposit” on a ridgetop in 80km/hour winds proved difficult.
Some of my teammates chose to practice alternative waste disposal methods, while still adhering to LNT principles. My choice meant I was responsible for carrying out 5 days of human waste at the end of our last search mission, earning the nickname “Poo Sherpa” from my teammates, who kept a safe distance during our hike out. Thankfully the flies ensured I didn’t hike alone.
Photo credit: David Gallagher
4. Rub a dub dub
The last and most important piece is hygiene. Wash your hands! This will reduce the likelihood of you and your friends getting sick from fecal contamination. Carry a small amount of soap and alcohol hand sanitizer. Use soap sparingly, as it can affect water quality, and wash your hands over gravel, sand, or dirt to filter the soap.
The bottom line? Don’t be afraid to move beyond outhouses and washroom facilities. While the no-TP approach might not be for you, there are other Leave No Trace waste disposal practices you can experiment with in the backcountry.
Featured image at the top of this story by Francois-Xavier De Ruydts Photography.