Best practices for dealing with human waste in the great outdoors

I summited Mt Whitney last fall, a trail that 1) is notoriously hard to get a permit for and 2) requires all waste to be packed out via Wag Bags.

I was surprised to see a dozen or so wag bags tossed to the side of the trail over the course of my trip. You’d think that visitors would either poop on the ground with no regard for others or pack out their waste, not take all the effort to bring the bag but leave the remnants. It really left a sour taste in my mouth (and smell in my nostrils).

The portal side of Whitney is a sad sight. I ended a week-long trip there years ago, and the difference between the backcountry side by Guitar Lake and the portal side in terms of human impact and trash was somewhat horrifying. And it's not like Guitar Lake is unpopular - the line of headlamps climbing the path up before the sun comes up attests to that.

I feel the same about dog owners who bag their dog’s crap and then leave the bag in the middle of the sidewalk.

I have enough of dog walkers leaving bags of shit everywhere, and with our national parks overwhelmed and understaffed, I just carry a stuff sack hooked on my belt to throw it and other garbage into.

The laziness and disregard demonstrated by this society is sickening, and the senselessness is astounding. Why bag it and then just throw it right on the ground? That’s almost worse. This is rhetorical, of course, they think there is an army of park janitors waiting eagerly, despite the clearly obvious fact that these bags are just sitting there for days or weeks as well as the, I dunno, numerous large signs saying to pick it up and carry it to the trash cans. It really makes it harder to relax and enjoy myself.

> Why bag it and then just throw it right on the ground? That’s almost worse.

It is worse, no almost about it.

I'm not a dog person but I think that one is totally explainable: if you're walking your dog in the neighborhood and it just did its business on the side walk, sharp eyes will be watching you to make sure you pick up after Milo or Daisy.

But who likes to walk around with a bag of fresh dog goodies in their hand? So it seems to be only natural that once out of sight enough, mommy is just gonna drop that gift bag at the nearest occasion.

My approach is to make sure to buy good quality waste bags, double bag it (or even triple bag it) and then either carry it in my pocket or in a side pocket of a pack and then dispose sensibly when you have an opportunity.

Probably correct. I was coming out of my house and saw a lady about 7-8 houses away. Her dog was just finishing up and then she looked around. When she saw me, she dipped into her pocket for a bag. It was absolutely hilarious. She probably dropped it somewhere on the way home.