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Best practices for dealing with human waste in the great outdoors

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76 points rntn | 2 comments | 31 Aug 25 19:48 UTC | HN request time: 0.01s | source
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benjbrooks ◴[01 Sep 25 02:25 UTC] No.45088873[source]▶
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).

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e40 ◴[01 Sep 25 03:37 UTC] No.45089218[source]▶
I feel the same about dog owners who bag their dog’s crap and then leave the bag in the middle of the sidewalk.
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1. moribvndvs ◴[01 Sep 25 04:13 UTC] No.45089379[source]▶
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.

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2. verisimi ◴[01 Sep 25 06:43 UTC] No.45090114[source]▶
> Why bag it and then just throw it right on the ground? That’s almost worse.

It is worse, no almost about it.