Human Waste:
What's the Poop Scoop?
Established campsites on the Appalachian Trail come furnished with "poop sites." Call them privies, latrines, outhouses, etc. These toilets are usually built a safe distance from the water source, in a soil that promotes breakdown.
Important things to know.....
- Human waste is often a carrier of disease.
- Common ways of transmitting disease: contact with feces, a contaminated insect, or drinking
contaminated water.
- The best way to avoid contamination is to remove the possibility of contact with feces.
- The most aggressive method is to pack out your waste!
On the AT in Maine, because of such high use, outhouses are the best LNT method. This reduces the risk of exposure. If left to cat holes, people may run out of places to poop, or make poor choices contaminating water sources and right around the site, making them unpleasant. The bigger picture: people may choose to camp elsewhere, bootlegging sites and impacting the Trail in other ways.
WHAT IS THE CAT HOLE METHOD?
A way to bury waste that avoids water contamination and prevents animals and other humans finding it. It's important to follow proper cat hole technique: a six- to eight-inch deep hole, located 200 feet from any water source and appropriately away from the campsite. You dig the hole, do your business in the hole, then cover it again with the dirt you dug out of the hole. The area should look undisturbed after your visit. (i.e. any vegetation you dug up put back on top, sprinkle leaves, duff or sticks over the top, step on it/ pack it down a bit) Good to use on the AT when there is not a privy available.
At some sites the MATC has put in composting privies where human waste is being turned into dirt and spread back in the woods. This process "bakes" the waste killing harmful bacteria and drying it out. Labor intensive, and more costly than a traditional outhouse, the MATC is experimenting with composting to help tackle the ever growing issue of waste in the backcountry.
WHAT ABOUT TOILET PAPER?
In an informal study at the Horns Pond, the Caretaker monitored clumps of toilet paper left by winter hikers. Findings: toilet paper on the ground took more than 60 days to decompose in the elements. The best solution: PACK OUT TP or put it in the privy.
 |
Carry TP for use in heavily trafficked areas, or high use sites
so you leave natural objects. |
WHAT ABOUT URINE?
"Should I pee in the outhouse or not?"
Ammonia in urine adds to the "stink" of privies. Some find it a pleasant option to use the woods.
Keep in mind: Urine has little effect on vegetation or soil but the salts may attract deer or other animals that will defoliate plants or dig up soil.
Urinating on rocks or non-vegetated soil, and always away from water sources, is a simple solution. Urinate away from the campsite to minimize concentrating odors and ALWAYS PACK OUT TP.
Careful not to trample vegetation in your quest for the ultimate pee spot!
Last updated May 20, 2006, by MATC Webmaster Terry L. Karkos.
Text copyright © 1999-2006 MATC.
