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Best practices for dealing with human waste in the great outdoors

(theconversation.com)
76 points rntn | 1 comments | 31 Aug 25 19:48 UTC | HN request time: 0.208s | source
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globular-toast ◴[01 Sep 25 06:35 UTC] No.45090063[source]▶
I went on a multi-day boating trip down the Orange River between South Africa and Namibia. They told us very explicitly how and where to defecate. Sufficiently far from the river, and we were to take three things: a spade, toilet paper and a lighter. Dig hole, shit in hole, wipe, burn the toilet paper, fill in the hole.
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1. beAbU ◴[01 Sep 25 19:14 UTC] No.45095681[source]▶
I went hiking in the Fish River canyon "just" upstream from where your river boating excursion took place.

5 days, 90km and zero facilities. Pristine nature despite it being very popular. Same story as yours: non negotiable items in your already overweight pack is a shovel, TP and a lighter/matches. You had to burn the TP and bury your logs.

Only difference is in the canyon you cant really get far away from the river.

I rather enjoyed the burning ritual afterwards. Somehow it felt like it cleansed my soul, after slogging 25km over round loose stones and soft sand carrying 20kg on my back. It was the little things that made that experience beautiful.