tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post3391246407638101024..comments2024-03-27T00:27:24.233-07:00Comments on A Mountain Top High: How to Poop in the WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-30360391091346559092023-08-27T03:58:06.283-07:002023-08-27T03:58:06.283-07:00This summer I joined a group of vintage van camper...This summer I joined a group of vintage van camper owners for a vacation trip to Scandinavia. We had decided to practice camping with equipment and clothing as used in the 1960s and 70s. Sometimes we stayed over night at designated camping sites, but very often we just parked our vans somewhere in the woods and mountains ("boondocking"). Then we also had to practice peeing and pooping in the wild, just as campers did fifty or sixty years back in time. It was the first time pooping outside for me. Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-2675778608871391112023-08-13T09:36:50.361-07:002023-08-13T09:36:50.361-07:00Advice #12 above is a powerful one. As a girl scou...Advice #12 above is a powerful one. As a girl scout I often experienced constipation when hiking. I asked our family doctor, a scout leader herself, for advice. She said that when she was hiking and hesitated to go, she convinced herself to do it and never postpone it by thinking actively on another hiker (often a man!) squatting with bare thighs and bottom. It appears childish and comic, but it is so it must be done by any healthy hiker, she said. I tried to use this mental technique, but it was very difficult to imagine others squatting with a bare bum out there. But at one certain occasion I happened to spot one of the boys as well as one of the male leaders squatting. Afterwards I have been thinking of them. Last summer I went for a long distance hike at GR20. Then I spend many distances walking with a man, much older than me. In that situation I found it difficult to go to toilet in the bushes, telling him that I had to and so on. He was a very serious and decent type, not easy for me to imagine him squatting with trousers down. But one day I accidentally walked straight in on him. Oh sorry, he said with an embarrassing smile and afterwards he excused that I had seen things that I should have been spared. We all do, don't we I answered and we both smiled. After that incident I have had no problems with this. He became my "pooping model". The cultural norms have to be challenged. Imagining normal, but still "forbidden", situations may help. But, I flush when I think that some of my friends may use me as their pooping model!! I wonder how many out there who use this type of techniques?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-38480758779381667222023-02-01T09:44:20.324-08:002023-02-01T09:44:20.324-08:00Nice description from Anna! I also enjoy the light...Nice description from Anna! I also enjoy the light, empty feeling after defecation, not least when getting really emptied as I often feel it when I have done it i squat position. I am an eager hiker, thus often in need of pooping outside.<br /><br />When I was younger this was among the least favorite moments of outdoor life. But now it don't bother me anymore. When urge appears I take the roll of toilet paper and find some shelter in the bushes or among the rocks or behind a small hill. Privacy issues? Not really. Mostly nobody comes by. If it occasionally occurs, the person coming mostly disappears in a hurry. I guess the sight of a retired female, strict teacher's bare bottom and white thighs, probably scares most people!<br /><br />Luckily my hips and knees still allow me to squat. When in addition my bowels work, I take comfort in the fact that these are good signs that life is not over yet.Carolinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-21559841842488647792022-10-12T22:08:33.228-07:002022-10-12T22:08:33.228-07:00Once I experienced such a situation too. One morni...Once I experienced such a situation too. One morning camping up in the mountains I had found a suitable spot between some big boulders where I could squat and relieve myself. When about to finish, I discovered the head of a teenager boy just above another stone. No doubt that he saw me, and when he realized that I spotted him he immediately ducked behind the stone. I got furious and went over there to yell at him. When I got there I immediately understood that there was no reason for me to get upset. Poor boy. He was crouching, toilet paper in his hands, shorts at the knees, trying to hide as well as possible. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-34450754148085733662022-10-12T14:22:58.129-07:002022-10-12T14:22:58.129-07:00From another grandmother here. I have also become ...From another grandmother here. I have also become more relaxed about this issue as years have passed. I am now over 70, but still quite active with outdoor life. I don't bother any more if someone accidentally should spot my white bum and thighs among the bushes. But I don't like anyone actually spying at me in that situation, which I, by the way, experienced last summer for the first time in my life. Camping together with a good friend up in the mountains, we both one morning experienced a young man (boy?) actually positioning himself in the terrain so that he could get a view of us when we tried to hide to take care of our needs. Afterwards we have both managed to laugh at it, wondering what joy a young man could get from seeing to older women going to toilet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-49371470682639966162022-09-19T12:22:33.890-07:002022-09-19T12:22:33.890-07:00When I became eager with outdoor life back in the ...When I became eager with outdoor life back in the early 1970s I think going to toilet outside was an even more private issue than today. I started out as a girl scout and I still remember how anxious I was about pooping outdoor when hiking. For those short trips for one or two nights, I tried to put off the urge as best I could. But for hikes lasting longer that was not possible. I soon experienced that at one point of time it just HAD to be done. The first few times I had no clue how the challenge was approached by the others. Nobody mentioned it, nor it was discussed in any way.<br /><br />I put some paper in my pocket and walked away, far away from the others, behind a stone or some dense bushes, shorts down, squat and get it done. I was lucky, nobody spotted me. But after a while I occasionally noticed used paper an even piles of poop behind those stones and bushes. No doubt that at least some others did just like me.<br /><br />One particular incident I still remember. It was early morning, just at sunrise. I had walked well into the woods. But just when squatting I heard someone coming. It was one of my leaders. I crouched down so that he should not spot me, which I obviously also succeeded with. Just 20-30 meters away from me he stopped, looking carefully around before pulled shorts down and squatted. No doubt what he was doing. I still remember feeling a combination of embarrassment, disobedience and excitement when becoming an involuntarily observer to the toilet visit of this poor guy. He finished without spotting me. But at least I had learnt that even the leaders had to do it just as myself.<br /><br />As years have passed, the embarrassment in such situations has (almost) disappeared. But still I feel it belongs to the private sphere. For example, not so easy to tackle when my 5 year old grandson just appears when I am squatting and asks "are you pooping, gandma?" Not to mention when he explains for the rest of the family that he saw grandma pooing in the woods!!<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-35385924845225008052022-09-12T13:16:01.264-07:002022-09-12T13:16:01.264-07:00Very true point about the importance of group lead...Very true point about the importance of group leaders announcing their needs, so that the topic is introduced for any new campers who might be embarrassed to ask about it. I have a friend and hiking partner who would usually excuse herself for trips to the bushes by saying, "I'm going to go and lose some weight!"<br /><br />Lose some weight... Honestly the light, empty feeling after defecating a lot is really wonderful. And I think that squatting in nature is better for the digestion, and helps the body to empty itself out more fully, versus sitting on a porcelain throne. Maybe it's just female vanity, but after a good poo, I always pat my stomach to see that it's a bit flatter than before.Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-62345931793954753852022-08-03T06:44:05.149-07:002022-08-03T06:44:05.149-07:00Yes, for sure. I also think that anyone used to hi...Yes, for sure. I also think that anyone used to hiking and other activities in the wilderness has lots of stories to tell. Some about being caught squatting with shorts at the knees. (I flush when trying to remember some of my own accidents, for example when I pulled down and squatted without spotting the husband of my sister standing peeing on the other side of the bush.) Others about walking in on another hiker exposing his/her bare bottom to the ground. (I also flush by some of them, for example when walking in on the father of my best friend when he is wiping after placing a brown cable behind a stone.) Some on tactics to cope without toilet paper (using type maple leaves), and others related to bugs attacking the vulnerable skin down there (just three minutes in the bushes of northern Lapland was enough to leave me with over 40 itching mosquito bites on my buttocks and thighs). Shit happens, as my grandfather sarcastically commented when I came by just as he was squatting with naked thighs and a roll of toilet paper in his hands when our familiy was out picking berries last weekend. Well, shit has to happen when staying outdoor for some time. Really nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Grandparents do it, adults do it, children do it. Nobody likes to be observed in that situation, but why bother?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-26185678750097228962022-07-14T01:07:56.340-07:002022-07-14T01:07:56.340-07:00The stories in the comment section had me laughing...The stories in the comment section had me laughing! I think that anyone who has spent time in the outdoors has had a similar experience. If anyone wants to exchange more funny stories about going to the toilet outdoors, they can contact me at annapenn34@yahoo.com.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-83648745339601478702022-07-09T11:24:02.015-07:002022-07-09T11:24:02.015-07:00I also had a quite similar experience when I was a...I also had a quite similar experience when I was a teenager. The whole family, including my grandparents, was out in the woods for a day trip to pick berries. After lunch I had to take a dump and I asked my mom if she knew about any toilets around. She didn't, and gave me some paper napkins from the lunch basket and pointed at a bushy area and suggested that I could run over there and get it done. When turning behind the bushes I got a surprise. There was my granddad squatting just about to wipe after he had left a huge load. Luckily he did not observe me and I succeeded in getting away unseen and went in another direction to take care of mu business. I have never told neither him or my mom about the incident. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-40578800978676501152022-05-28T06:37:04.550-07:002022-05-28T06:37:04.550-07:00For sure you are not the only ones! Just now stayi...For sure you are not the only ones! Just now staying with my van at a popular site in Norway. Every morning, typically between 6am and 8am, you can see several "lonely walkers" lurking into the terrain, obviously searching solitude by keeping distance to others. Some (but really quite few) are carrying their trowel and tp visible for others to see, leaving no doubt about their task out there.<br /><br />Most of us tries to be less explicit, hiding the equipment in our pockets. But in realty we are just cheating ourselves. Everybody knows, if they care about it, what that young, sporty man walking alone away from the van at 7am is going to do. Even the decent senior woman leaving her husband for a stroll at 6:30am has no other purpose. If in doubt or extremely curious, only minutes later you are able to spot them squatting behind a boulder, shorts at the knees, exposing their white bums to Mother Nature. When I go away I prefer to imagine that the nice young woman who spotted me on my way out this morning did not have a clue about what this grey haired man was going to do. But being realistic, she most probably understood it all, and perhaps thought, oh, well, now that area is occupied for some minutes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-44095619115411408092022-05-07T05:34:17.757-07:002022-05-07T05:34:17.757-07:00I think I was the teenager in your story. In any c...I think I was the teenager in your story. In any case, something very similar happened to me. It couldn't be helped, as it was just after dinner and we had both had a lot to eat. I was new to the outdoors and I was very startled when I saw you. I didn't know the procedure at all - should I leave, turn around or squat down next to her? I apologize again for any embarrassment I may have caused. But to be honest, my main thought as I was turned around, waiting for you to be done, was "I hope she finishes quickly, I'm absolutely bursting!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-30763638224564118042022-04-19T09:28:59.408-07:002022-04-19T09:28:59.408-07:00Hilarious list of advice. I can support them all! ...Hilarious list of advice. I can support them all! #12 is a nice way to normalize it. When hiking as a girl scout I hated to take a dump in the woods. Nobody talked about it and I often had a feeling that I was the only one with such needs. Even among the girls we did not mention pooping, only peeing. We often went peeing together, but always we went away alone when to take a dump. As for the boys. We often spotted them peeing just at the trail, but squatting? Nope.<br /><br />As a quite regular morning pooper, I found it convenient to try to do my business in the early morning, just before the rest of the group stood up. Putting tp in the pocket, sneaking away, down a slope, at the back of a hill, behind a dense bush or a huge stone. Looking carefully around to be sure that nobody else was there. Then shorts down, squatting and opening up. This was in the 1960s (I am almost 70 now), nobody had heard of LNT. The big things were left there on the ground, the paper put inbetween stones or roots. Then walking back knowing that it was over for this time too, and hoping to meet no others before back at the tents.<br /><br />Then once, I accidentally observed one of our leaders when squatting to poop in the bushes. I immediately found the situation comic as well as a bit embarrassing. Luckily he did not spot be before I managed to get away. Every now and then I still recall the image of a decent and humble mature man, trousers at his knees, bending forward when wiping his bottom. If I the last 55 years have had to struggle with the courage to leave the group to take care of my business, this obviously was a landmark event to look back at. Even brave and decent men must perform this somewhat humiliating procedure.<br /><br />And for the boys among you, girls do not always only pee when squatting. Yes, we have all the same needs. As an adult I used to be a scout leader for many years. Then I discovered that many of the leaders systematically went to take care of this task early in the morning, to avoid being spotted by the youths, honor be them for it. But it in a way disguise our common human needs. When I together with to other mature women was a leader for a group of cubs, we struggled to get the kids to understand that sometimes they just would have to poop outdoor. We decided that we as leaders should be open about our own needs, for example saying oh, you have to excuse me for some minutes. I have to take the toilet paper and go to find a place where I can go to toilet. It seemed to function as intended. Only once I can remember that it was misunderstood. With a group of young teenagers I said just like that and went away. Then one of them came around as I was squatting. I think he was more surprised than me! He had toilet paper in his hand and anxiously said that he was looking for the toilets. I tried to smile and said like, eh, uh, yes, but this spot is just now occupied. I expected him to go away, but politely he turned away and stood waiting for me to finish! I so did and when leaving I said, perhaps not exactly with a smile, that now it is your turn. When back at the camp I told one of the other leaders of the incident. She said, oh gosh, he asked me about the toilets! I gave him some paper and pointed the direction and told him to go behind a stone and squat and get it done. It was so it had to be at this hike, she had told him! On background of this order, I found his peculiar behavior not bad at all, just what to expect from a clumsy young pal. What he thought of the incident, I don't know. At least he got a live demonstration of how adults as well as kids have to deal with the issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-53164493608922231822021-09-05T01:12:55.677-07:002021-09-05T01:12:55.677-07:00Well, going to toilet outdoor isn't that bad! ...Well, going to toilet outdoor isn't that bad! I have just returned home after a surfing holiday travelling around in a van for almost 8 weeks. We soon got used to peeing behind the car and pooping in the shrubs. Seemed like everyone else also did. Every day, especially in the morning, I saw others heading for the shrubs with a roll of toilet paper in the hands. Every now and then it was also possible to spot others out there trying to cover up their white, shining bum when squatting behind a bush. Nobody ever spoke about it. No need for that because it was so obvious that everybody had to do it the primitive way. I think even those having a toilet in the van often went to the bushes, to avoid filling up the toilet tank. Really nothing to be ashamed of. My girl friend calls squatting to take a dump "the great equalizer" because everyone has to do it. Man or woman, young or old, no difference. Out there often there is no other option than pulling trousers down and squat and let go. It should not be embarrassing to practice one of our most natural activities the "natural way"? If caught just there and then, a smile an the simple word "excuse" from both involved makes up for the possible embarrassment. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-60822203294428241062021-07-23T08:33:27.942-07:002021-07-23T08:33:27.942-07:00I think that is correct related to hikers, campers...I think that is correct related to hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts. But an ordinary tourist does usually not carry a shovel, nor even toilet paper. I live close to an archaeological site, visited by thousands of tourists every summer. There is no public toilet here. Some are coming by busses and they mostly nowadays have toilets onboard. But quite many come by hired cars or bikes. The first they do when arriving, often is searching for a toilet. Many of them have waited for an hour or two hoping to find facilities when arriving here. The only realistic solution is to try to find shelter behind a bush. Poor people! I do not know how many desperate persons I have seen rushing into the terrain or squatting exposing their white bum to the nature. For sure as mentioned above, age and sex no difference. But I think tourists feel it much worse than hikers who are used to going outdoor. I guess that the tourists feel both humiliated and embarrassed when the only option they have is to pee and poop onto the ground.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-22579448035869060642021-06-29T21:19:21.488-07:002021-06-29T21:19:21.488-07:001. Find a huge stone or a bush in decent distance ...1. Find a huge stone or a bush in decent distance from the camp site, trail and water to hide behind. <br />2. Remember to pull shorts enough down to get a path for free fall of the waste. Perhaps easy to forget when stressed?<br />3. Squat.<br />4. Widen the butt crack with your hands, reduces the need for wiping. (If troubled from imaging what you look like in that position, visualize one of your friends. He/she for sure looks like you.)<br />5. "Open up" and pray that nobody comes by, which luckily very seldom happens.<br />6. Wipe with a smooth stone, leaves or like.<br />7. Cover up what you have left on the ground.<br />8. Afterwards, nothing to be ashamed of.<br />9. Being a bit observant you may see others walking into the woods alone, especially in the morning. Do you think they are looking for flowers? Nope.<br />10. In some groups it turns out to be an issue for conversation, but still in many groups often not talked about at all. Though not mentioned, everybody has to do it. The tough male climber, the pretty female surfer, the mature hiking couple, students, university teachers, nurse, doctors, just like you and me (a lawyer by the way). Even decent mothers in law (yes, I can tell). Remember, men also have to expose the white bum to the nature when pooping (the great equalizer out there).<br />11. Do never put it off till later. You only risk severe constipation. When I started hiking, that happened to me. I married into an outdoorsy familiy. In the begnning I hated hiking with them. But once I spotted my mother in law, well, nothing more to be told here. Then I just decided that if she can, I can.<br />12. If hesitating, try to visualize one of the others in the group and think: if he/she can, then I also can.<br />13. But still acknowledge the need for privacy. It is not nice to be caught, even for "pros". I know from own experience.<br />14. Then, read and learn details from the original posting here. "Be prepared" as scouts say. Also valid for this situation.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-29318140871683008352021-05-01T02:32:42.502-07:002021-05-01T02:32:42.502-07:00Just my experience too! Not from climbing, but fro...Just my experience too! Not from climbing, but from van life. We were a bit unprepared for the situation. I think we had an idea that toilets should be available everywhere! But after a few days both my wife and I were well acquainted with going in the wilderness. We soon discovered that we were not the only ones having such needs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-52841358684959696762021-03-27T10:16:55.718-07:002021-03-27T10:16:55.718-07:00I got rid of my shyness and fear of pooping in the...I got rid of my shyness and fear of pooping in the wild some years back. We were staying for several days at a popular site for climbers to camp and train. No toilet around and one hour to drive to the nearest village the only realistic option was to go to toilet in the nature. People were peeing just behind their tents or cars. But it seemed like most of us went down a slope to an area with dense woods when in need of taking a dump. Everybody certainly tried to keep it as private as possible. But sometimes we could be around 50 climbers out there. Then privacy was not easy to achieve, especially in the morning! I think it was kind of a taboo. Everyone did it. Everybody knew that all others also did it. But it was never made an issue for conversation. I think we all felt that it really was nothing to talk about and just accepted that the possibility to be spotted by others or to observe a white bum among the trees was part of the daily life out there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-33354945042626106802021-01-29T02:02:12.927-08:002021-01-29T02:02:12.927-08:00I agree! I also think that the attitudes towards o...I agree! I also think that the attitudes towards outdoor pooping have improved considerably last few years. Where I live there are lots of hikers and boondockers camping in the wilderness. Quite often when jogging in the woods in the morning I spot someone taking care of business in the bushes. No toilets around, and when nature demands that is their only option. Less than ten years ago there were piles of poop and amounts of stained toilet paper behind every stone or dense bush at the most popular sites for pitching a tent or parking a van. But now the terrain is quite pristine, even though the number of campers has increased considerably. The focus on LNT practice seems to have had great effect. Still the privacy issue exists. Young sporty men and mature grannies, the challenge is equal and I have seem them all. No door to lock, you just have to accept the risk to be seen squatting with trousers at the knees. But as stated above I also think that most of us out there do not bother. It is a part of the game as a hiker or boondocker.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-85293361532136970192020-08-26T07:55:03.544-07:002020-08-26T07:55:03.544-07:00Thanks for sharing nice information about poop gar...Thanks for sharing nice information about <a href="https://shoppysanta.com/collections/freebies/products/special-foldable-pets-poop-garbage-bag" rel="nofollow">poop garbage bag</a> with us. i glad to read this post.Lily Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171295541989871413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-42391631274033734402019-04-13T15:13:29.872-07:002019-04-13T15:13:29.872-07:00What do u do if u don't have a outhouse, shove...What do u do if u don't have a outhouse, shovel, or poop poll. Plz help time sensitive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-71390242621996023312018-07-23T08:57:01.350-07:002018-07-23T08:57:01.350-07:00I am also among those who had to "learn"...I am also among those who had to "learn" how to go to toilet in the outdoors, and lot least that it was a natural as well as necessary competence to have when staying outdoor for more than just short day trips. The technical side no problem, and mostly not even the privacy challenge. As written above, every hiker probably knows all about it so why bother if anyone should get a glimpse of bare bottom between the branches?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-35320667702438395272017-02-23T05:00:12.490-08:002017-02-23T05:00:12.490-08:00It has to be compact and lightweight, of course, w...It has to be compact and lightweight, of course, with good optical quality. Some of us need long eye relief to accommodate our eyeglasses. <a href="http://campingadvise.com/camping-tents-for-sale/" rel="nofollow">camping tents for sale</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06082452719833398319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-34825646788933528702016-03-25T01:21:04.408-07:002016-03-25T01:21:04.408-07:00Squatting behind a bush also used to be my least f...Squatting behind a bush also used to be my least favourite part of outdoor life when I was younger. Even when hiking alone I felt pooping outdoor extremely embarrassing for a decent woman. Now at an age of 64 I am much more relaxed about it. In one or another way I nos realt appreciate that my body functions normally. It is a daily sign of no disease I feel. Taking the roll of tp and walking away to find a secluded spot is really no problem. I may even enjoy squatting there feeling the relief. Worrying about anyone coming by? Not really. It has happened and for sure a bit embarrassing just there and then. But I guess that most hikers are well aware of the challenge.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-621613202600179197.post-43348359527758314822016-03-18T12:10:51.147-07:002016-03-18T12:10:51.147-07:00I thought im the only guy who is stuck now to poop...I thought im the only guy who is stuck now to poopAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00759817219324766310noreply@blogger.com