Saturday, August 03, 2013

Going

It has happened to all of us who hike the mountains around here... sometimes nature calls and you can't hit the ignore button! And I'm not talking about the number one thing that comes to mind...no, it's the second. I was chatting with the hiking buddies not too long ago and explaining that a stomach bug had hit me, not once but twice (there's that #2 again!), within the span of thirty feet on the trail. Both times... I HAD to go!

Since we have a number of homeless that live along our favorite trails, not to mention golfers who won't take the time to find a toilet, we've all had unpleasant encounters out there as well. The most "city-fied" of my hiking buds asked me point blank where this happened so she could avoid it for a few weeks.

I explained that as a good girl scout, I buried the evidence and marked it with rocks and sticks. It wouldn't affect her hike. But this led to a flurry of questions:

HOW do you dig a hole when nature is calling that urgently?
 
I find a soft loamy or sandy place (ideally 200 feet from water) and quickly dig a trench with the heel of my shoe. I can dig a 6 - 8 inch deep trench in seconds!

What on earth do you use for toilet paper?

There's a tree with large heart shaped leaves all along our trails... four leaves make a decent t.p.

What are the rocks and sticks for? 

To make it harder for an animal to dig up. After burying the evidence, rocks are placed on top. A stick is placed in the middle of the rocks, straight up to make humans aware not to dig up a camp site there.

So if I find a pile a rocks with a stick straight up, I should avoid it?

Yes!

At that very moment, we wandered up onto the levy area and saw this:



Without missing a beat, my hiking buddy asked: I wonder what was large enough to need a pile of rocks that big?


16 comments:

Millie and Walter said...

Thanks for the laugh.

Cindy

Linda@VS said...

Oh, my! That's an aspect of hiking I'd never considered.

Ruby said...

BOL!!!! Oh, Ma loved this one!
Us doggies don't have to worry abouts such things...Thank doG!!
Now, it's been like centuries since Ma was a Blue Bird (kinda like a Girl Scout), so she doesn't really remember the pile of rocks and stick thing, butts she is thankful for the info!!! (note to self...don't pick up sticks when on a hike....)
Kisses,
Ruby ♥

april grinaway said...

Lol!!!!!

Pat Wahler said...

You are so right. When nature calls, you just have to answer!

Pat
Critter Alley

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

OMD, Mom just about lost her cup of tea:) She also adds that she wishes we would learn to do that bury and cover with stones and stick so she would have a lot less poop patrol to do.

Woos - Phantom, Ciara, and Lightning

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

Ruby, Certainly not vertical sticks! BOL!!!

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

♥♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥♥ has left a new comment on your post "Going":

OMD, Mom just about lost her cup of tea:) She also adds that she wishes we would learn to do that bury and cover with stones and stick so she would have a lot less poop patrol to do.

Woos - Phantom, Ciara, and Lightning

Mollie said...

OMD, that had us howling. xx00xx

Mollie and Alfie

Girl Power Golf said...

very funny

The Adventures of the LLB Gang said...

Now that I am hiking more, I soooooo appreciate this tutorial LOL!

Kari in Alaska said...

Thanks for the giggle!

Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

Snowbrush said...

I know from many years of sad experience that with some dogs, a rock-pile that big would be advisable.

Why use leaves? Why not carry toilet paper? It's always good to have water and, in my case, a plant guide or two, so I just thrown TP in a day pack with the other items.

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

Snow, I don't like to carry anything in my hands! I safety pin my keys to me as they've fallen out of the dang shallow pockets they insist on putting in women's pants and I've walked off and left them!

It kills me to now have to carry a leash!

Snowbrush said...

"I don't like to carry anything in my hands!"

I rarely leave home without a daypack, even around town. On a hike, I carry something to eat, water, toilet paper, and a botanical field guide. The only thing I would carry in my hands might be trekking poles because they help my knees.

Blueberry's human said...

Ahahahaha!!! Maybe more than one human used that hole? My goodness - I wonder if anyone will ever be brave enough to find out what exactly is under that pile of rocks? Hopefully, not a body!