Nature- Everything you want to know (but are too embarrassed to ask) about going number two in the wilderness
The very first time Matt Misicka went camping in the backcountry, he really stepped in it. That’s right: it.
The following written content by Chantal Martineau via Roadtrippers Magazine
The very first time Matt Misicka went camping in the backcountry, he really stepped in it. That’s right: it. There he was, in the middle of the night, needing to relieve himself. He took his flashlight and trowel and ventured out into the darkness to find a place to squat when, as he got into position, he smelled something. He shined the flashlight down and, right there on the ground, he saw it.
“I was standing in my flip flops in someone else’s stuff,” he recalls with a shudder. Or maybe the shudder is mine as I hear him tell the story. Nothing kills the romance of being out in nature faster than stumbling upon human waste.
As more people make the great outdoors their vacation destination each year, poop-related problems are piling up. The number of visitors to national parks hit an all-time high of more than 330 million in 2016. The math pretty much stinks: Humans produce up to a pound of poop per day and human feces take about a year to biodegrade.
HUMANS PRODUCE UP TO A POUND OF POOP PER DAY AND HUMAN FECES TAKE ABOUT A YEAR TO BIODEGRADE.
Thankfully, Misicka—an avid backpacker and president of the Ohio Conservation Federation—has dug deep into just about everything you’ve ever wanted to know (but were too embarrassed to ask) about going number two in the wilderness. He shared his insights at the 10th annual Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, in May.
“We wanted to alleviate people’s fears of, ‘Oh my god, how do I go to the bathroom in the woods?’” he says of the seminar he led with Tim Hampton, a fellow lifelong outdoorsman. “We talk about our perspective, but back it up with regulations from lots of parks and other sources. Over the last 30 years, I’ve observed the change in park regulations, correlated with increased park visits and an increased awareness of environmental issues.” Read more from Roadtrippers Magazine.
Follow News Without Politics for more interesting and amazing, important, and relevant U.S. and world news stories plus health, entertainment, sports, weather, food and more without media bias.
Stay informed daily. unbiased news fair and balanced, ahead of influence.
