Last time you almost...

[JoshEEE]

Pee and Poop threads. Gotta love them.


So, this past weekend, I was on a trip up Mt. Rainier, and they had informed us ahead of time to pack toilet paper because there are obviously no toilets up there. You are also required to bring a plastic bag, and if you are so unfortunate as to have to produce the 'ol number 2....you will be forced to carry it back down the mountain with you.

So...you have a couple of chances at a toilet. One is in the morning before you start the hike, then the next is at the end of the day at Base Camp. You're supposed to continue eating the whole way for energy....so I figured...it's BOUND to happen at some point.  I would have gone in the morning to assure myself a poop-free climbing day, and, I hadn't "gone" the day before that, so I figured the morning would just be a natural thing.

However, when the alarm hit, I found out I just didn't have to go. I tried, but the old "Here I sit" poem was in full effect.  I was worried I was going to be that guy that has to go on the trail at some point, but there was nothing I could do.  I started climbing and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't get the urge along the way.

I easily made it up to base camp, and used their latrine, but a few hours later when I was on my way up the mountain again from there, I realized I was going to have to go. Maybe it was that dehydrated beef stew.

Somehow, I managed to ignore the call of nature, and hold it until I came down from the top of the mountain, but a few people on our rope were not so lucky. They had to climb as far away from us as their 12 feet of slack would allow, and attempt to have as much privacy as they could while being tied at the hip to 5 or 6 other guys. Then they had to carry the bag full of goodness all the way back down to base camp with them. I couldn't help thinking that  no matter where it is in your pack, it's probably next to something (Clothes, food, water, sunscreen, whatever) that you're going to use that day.

Yuck.

[Morgbug]

I have to ask:

Why bring the poop back with you?  It decomposes readily and bluntly, it's a food resource for any number of insects.  The paper I get, unsightly, not quick enough to break down, etc.  But maybe carrying this leave nothing behind mentality a little too far?  How long before you're peeing in bottles?

[JoshEEE]

It has something to do with the water supply or something. I know when you go backpacking in a lot of places, you have to pack out your toilet paper...but you can bury anything that's not Scottish.  

[jokabofe]

about 10 years ago, some friends and i decided it would be fun to go and check out the lollapolooza tour at jones beach, which is about 3 hours from our hometown. we decided to hit the road at 10am, since the gates opened at around 12pm, but the show didn't actually start till maybe 2 or 3. so, since we were young and stupid, we figured it would be fun to just drink all day long. and i mean all day.

i woke up at about 7am and hit the beers first thing. no recollection of how many i drank, but i definitely remember not going to take a leak before we left (this was mistake #1). we left at 10am, and hit the road. pretty smooth sailing. at least, for the first hour or so, until we hit some major major traffic on the expressway going over into long island.

oh yeah, i forgot to mention, since we were young and stupid, we decided that we would bring the cooler into the car with us, and drink on the way there as well. as soon as we started to slow down, that feeling hit me. hard. we crawled along the expressway for another 4 hours or so, with me clenching my legs tighter than ever before. not that i had much of a choice, since there were 4 of us packed into the back seat.

so, we had 3 people in the front seat, and myself and 3 others in the back seat, pretty much drinking from 7am on. we got stuck in slow moving traffic for what seemed like hours. all i know is that by the time we hit jones beach, it was almost 3pm. it had been almost 8 hours of continuous drinking. when i tried to stand up and get out of the car, my kidneys and bladder hurt sooo bad, i was hunched over and couldn't even stand up straight. i hobbled to the mens room, and spent what seemed like an eternity in there. i mean, there were guys coming in, doing their business, and leaving while i was still there.

absolutely one of the most horrible experiences of my life thus far. of course, after that, the show was great