live in a privy for five months or thru hike the AT northbound?
live in a privy for five months or thru hike the AT northbound?
Ok,I'll bite,how big a privy and where is it located?
Last edited by Spokes; 04-25-2012 at 06:36.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
I would rather thru hike northbound. Living in a privy doesn't appeal to me.
Kind of a strange question I can't even use privies any more, so the thought of sleeping in one is not an option. However, I'd like to locate a bunch of old privies and have them dug up (notice: "have them" ) and to see how well the contents breakdown. It's something that has always made me wonder... I wonder if there's a chance of the stuff semi-fossilizing or if it does decompose (which would be via anaerobic process -- yucky) what the consistency of the soil would be and there must be leachate, what happens to that stuff.
Been there; done that. It ain't pretty!
Been involved in moving a privy at a site with very limited allowed spots, so we ended up trying to move it to a location used years earlier. Ugh! No go.
Buried down deep in more or less sterile mineral soil, decomposition must take an awfully long time.
~~
Allen "Monkeywrench" Freeman
NOBO 3-18-09 - 9-27-09
blog.allenf.com
[email protected]
www.allenf.com
I have a well aerated compost pile and decomposition under those circumstances is very quick as long as there is air and moisture available it attracts tons of organisms, both macro and micro. However, anaerobic (without oxygen -- and it's far more stinkier process) only allows certain microorganisms to grow, so the time for decomposition is much slower. Furthermore, as moisture is removed and not replenished that means nothing lives. I'm sure there is always moisture, but how much is key, the less moisture the slower the process, so that's what makes me think of semi-fossilization happening.
John,I'm thinking it is dependant on the soil type,that would replace the turds with minerals.But being a"Turd Herder"(plumber)for many a years,I have no desire to dig up,or under a privy,unless it's been fossilized over many a Eons,hunting for fossil Dino dung on the other could be fun and they probably have no more gas in it than an abandoned car on the NJ turnpike.
I don't know how it is now but in 1999 Antlers campsite privy was pretty inviting.
Yeah, soil type makes a difference, but the thing is that they (at least they use to) dig them down fairly deep, below where much of the soil organisms live, and then simply cover them up, basically creating an air-tight enclosure. And when air is locked out things get realy nasty and slimy. I've even had pockets in my compost pile develop these air-tight conditions, mainly because I packed things wrong and didn't turn it, and even in an above-ground compost pile it can get very stinky and slimmy -- really nasty .
southbounder troll. Nice
Two years ago there was a privy in sw virginia that was almost brand new. Smelled great and had a concrete floor. I would've slept in there in an emergency, but live in even the nicest privy for five months. I'd rather go hiking.