Burning TP

[uncas]

Hello,

Help me out here. I see a lot on WB about burying TP. I always, and carefully, burned mine.

What are the benefits to burying. It seems to me that kicking or digging up a hole is kinda descructive.

I am a LNT kind of guy or so I thought.

Thanks for your feedback.

[mrmike48/4000]

if there is a hole for the waste you might as well put the paper in the hole with the rest of the stuff..i do not have a problem with the burning of burnables but some people frown on things like that.....nitewalker

[Peaks]

Most people find it a lot easier to bury TP with the poop. However, they usually don't do a good job of it. The designated area frequently looks like a mine field.

Burning TP is probably a better idea. And there is nothing wrong with it. Problem is getting people to do it.

[Sly]

**** burns?

With as dry as it's been it's probably not advisible to burn anything unless you're willing to pay for a forest.

If you don't want to bury it you could always pack it out.

[Skidsteer]

With as dry as it's been it's probably not advisible to burn anything unless you're willing to pay for a forest.

You're right, Sly. I guess we must wait for the "campfire" until after a good rain.

[Just Jeff]

If you don't normally build a fire every night...

Which is more destructive? Burring some TP in the hole you've (hopefully) already dug for your poop, or starting a fire just to burn the TP? I guess you could build a small LNT-style fire and they'd probably both have about the same impact. It's just so much easier to bury it.

[neo]

i bury mine,i have probally built less than a dozen fires on the AT from springer ga to kinsman notch nh. neo

[bulldog49]

I put my TP in the hole but before covering it up I set it on fire. Whatever does not burn then gets covered up.

[betic4lyf]

seeing tp while out in the woods ruins the experience.

btw, i use leaves.

[bfitz]

One time, a hiker I know soiled himself during a moment of overexertion while hiking. So he scooted off the trail and began a tedious clean-up. After a few minutes he had used up a signifcant quantity of TP and wondered how he ought to dispose of it. It was a lot. Then a bright idea struck him, and he doused the pile with a bit of denatured alcohol and set it alight. After a moment the fire was blazing but little bits of blazing TP floated up from the fire and started settling all over the surrounding leaves and setting them on fire. Soon panic set in and this guy was stomping out little fires all around, stepping in his own poopy TP in the process....

[Skidsteer]

One time, a hiker I know soiled himself during a moment of overexertion while hiking. So he scooted off the trail and began a tedious clean-up. After a few minutes he had used up a signifcant quantity of TP and wondered how he ought to dispose of it. It was a lot. Then a bright idea struck him, and he doused the pile with a bit of denatured alcohol and set it alight. After a moment the fire was blazing but little bits of blazing TP floated up from the fire and started settling all over the surrounding leaves and setting them on fire. Soon panic set in and this guy was stomping out little fires all around, stepping in his own poopy TP in the process....

Did you christen him "Poopstomper"?

[Green Bean]

I bury mine! but try very seldom to have my waist in the woods. ~GB

[Moxie00]

I remember a woman started a major brush fire in the Grand Canyon years ago when she tried to burn TP. Sometimes it is hard to bury it. A better idea might be to ship it ahead in your biunce box, then flush it all down the toilet at the Appalachian Trail Lodge in Millinocket after you climb Katahdin. Or even better sell it all to the recycleing center of the paper company and use the money for your bus fare home.

[DawnTreader]

as I was taught, you should not bury tp on or just off the trail.. that is deffinetly the opposite of pack in pack out, and is, last I checked not acceptable. I have seen some of the tp graveyards that others have spoke about, and I am not amused. This is litter, and should not be burried. I personally have less of a problem with burning tp, however as was mentioned, why start a fire just to burn tp.. solutions??? wrap in up in a ziplock, wait for the next nightime campfire, burn it there, or hang on to it so it can be properly dissposed of......LEAVE NO TRACE... use a dead leaf if you have to... just don't burry the tp.. it always turns up again

[fiddlehead]

keep it simple and bury it. Buring it just opens up many doors to potential problems. we don't want to see it. You probably don't either.

[ZEKE #2]

The information that I have read when relating to LNT and TP have always discussed the fact that you must "carry out" all waste.
This thread leads me to remember a day hike that I took on the Ice Age Trail in good old Wisconsin, had to relieve myself, practiced LNT methods and then forgot about the ziploc bag that I deposited in my day pack. Weeks later, when I was showing my girls what I take on the trail, I removed the ziploc ...and then used the opportunity to discuss Leave No Trace principles with my girls.
eewwwwwwwwwwwww!

Life is good!

[hikerjohnd]

I put my TP in the hole but before covering it up I set it on fire. Whatever does not burn then gets covered up.

I've been thinking about this method. There is a ready-made fire pit, loose dirt on hand to quell flare-ups, and no fire ring in the end. Although I have not done this yet (I'm a burrier) I understand the need to minimize impact in the woods. I just have this aversion to toteing used tp to the next trash stop. Also - having to dig out the trash bag every time i need to go would be a pain, not to mention not wanting to keep that trash near my food supply (my trash bag rides in my foodbag).

I may try this method on my next trip --- anyone else use this method?

[Almost There]

Did you christen him "Poopstomper"?

How about Shiitkicker!!!

[bfitz]

Lucky for him, his trailname was already well-established....

[icemanat95]

I carry a water bottle with me to where I dig my cathole. I then burn my TP in the hole and douse it with water to eliminate the possibility of a flare-up. Then cover the cat hole. No Tp to haul out, no TP on the ground to be dug up or washed out, and no practical chance of a fire unless there is too much wind, in which case I don't burn the TP.

Never rely on hard and fast rules, you've got to engage your brain and be abel to make situational decisions. Sometimes it is appropriate and safe to burn TP, sometimes it is not. Sometimes it is safe to bury it, sometimes not.