View Full Version : Burning TP
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
03-20-2006, 18:04
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
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.
**** 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
03-20-2006, 19:40
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.;) :D
Just Jeff
03-20-2006, 20:59
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.
i bury mine,i have probally built less than a dozen fires on the AT from springer ga to kinsman notch nh.:cool: neo
bulldog49
03-20-2006, 21:38
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
03-20-2006, 21:44
seeing tp while out in the woods ruins the experience.
btw, i use leaves.
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
03-20-2006, 22:35
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"?:D
Green Bean
03-20-2006, 22:40
I bury mine! but try very seldom to have my waist in the woods. ~GB
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
03-20-2006, 23:00
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
03-21-2006, 00:19
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.
The information that I have read when relating to LNT and TP have always discussed the fact that you must "carry out" all waste. :eek:
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!:banana
Life is good!
hikerjohnd
03-21-2006, 12:18
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
03-21-2006, 12:23
Did you christen him "Poopstomper"?:D
How about Shiitkicker!!!:jump
Lucky for him, his trailname was already well-established....
icemanat95
03-21-2006, 12:53
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.
The book "How to s**t in the Woods" covers where it is appropriate to dig a cat hole vs. carry your poop and paper out. This hilarious book is quite a read and has many good suggestions. As a general rule, where there is no forest floor, you should carry out. Apparently, the first few inches of forest floor where all that stuff called duff is located is excellent for quickly decomposing s**t, therefore cat holes should not be dug deeper than the duff line. Deposits should not be made in desert or sand or anywhere where decomposition will take a long time. Paper should be carried out and burning does not sound like a good option.
I hang mine from tree limbs so I can dry it and reuse it.
Burn, bury, or carry, depending on circumstances at the time. Also, I use the paper made for RV use as it decomposes much faster than regular TP. It will begin to disintegrate as soon as it gets wet. Costs a little more, but to me it's worth it because of the lesser impact on the environment.
Skidsteer
03-21-2006, 18:33
I hang mine from tree limbs so I can dry it and reuse it.
That's a bit drastic. On the other hand, no sense in using only one side. ;)
Just Jeff
03-21-2006, 20:59
Kinda like your underwear. Just turn it inside out and it's good for a few more days :eek:
Kinda like your underwear. Just turn it inside out and it's good for a few more days :eek:
I get 4 days out of my underwear. One side, turn, inside out, turn. :o
Just Jeff
03-21-2006, 21:56
That's 4 sides - you could get at least 12 days from that!
Skidsteer
03-21-2006, 22:12
That's 4 sides - you could get at least 12 days from that!
Almost makes me wish I wore underwear.....Nahhh!
Kinda like your underwear. Just turn it inside out and it's good for a few more days :eek:
Privates Snuffy, Smitty, and Jones have been on a looong patrol in the jungle with Sgt Brown... one day, Sgt Brown announces that everyone will get a fresh change of underwear.... his troops are overjoyed... until he announces "snuffy, give yours to smitty... smitty, give yours to jones... jones, give yours to snuffy"....
(there's also a french foreign legion version of the joke.)
Don't the people sitting around the campfire get upset when you burn crappy TP as they're trying to cook their dinner?
Ohhhh, you mean burn it in the cat hole...now I get it! LOL
hikerjohnd
03-22-2006, 20:02
Privates Snuffy, Smitty, and Jones have been on a looong patrol in the jungle with Sgt Brown... one day, Sgt Brown announces that everyone will get a fresh change of underwear.... his troops are overjoyed... until he announces "snuffy, give yours to smitty... smitty, give yours to jones... jones, give yours to snuffy"....
(there's also a french foreign legion version of the joke.)
That's classic:D:D:D
Leaves? Come on, that’s just nasty. I hope you cats using leaves are using some sort of hand sanitizer.
:eek:
Skidsteer
03-22-2006, 21:06
Leaves? Come on, that’s just nasty. I hope you cats using leaves are using some sort of hand sanitizer.
:eek:
I didn't see anything about leaves for TP in this thread? :confused:
mrmike48/4000
03-22-2006, 21:41
i seen a dude use a stick in the fall. the leaves had fallen and only crunchy leaves were available... it wasnt my idea to watch but myself and a few other hikers walked around the edge of a rock and there he was with his big old sh#t eatin grin.. now thats a nasty sight...sorry all just had to mention this story seeing how we are on the subject.........nitewalker
mrmike48/4000
03-22-2006, 21:43
:-? just remeber to check those marshmello sticks...
seeing tp while out in the woods ruins the experience.
btw, i use leaves.
Yea it was only mentioned once in this thread but I’ve read in other threads that people used leaves instead of T.P. Hey, if that’s what chaps your ask that’s your business, but just don’t forget to use the sanitizer before you go extending a friendly hand to shake or offering to share some food. Yikes!
:-?
cburnett
03-22-2006, 21:46
Burn, Bury? boo.
pack it out.
Somewhere in virginia a trailrunner informed me that making poop soup (mix poop / soil and stir with a stick) and packing out TP was best LNT. I did this for the remainder of my thru.
Father Ounce
Just Jeff
03-22-2006, 22:00
I know a guy who used poison ivy leaves as TP. No *****. He was a hurtin fella.
Burn, Bury? boo.
pack it out.
Somewhere in virginia a trailrunner informed me that making poop soup (mix poop / soil and stir with a stick) and packing out TP was best LNT. I did this for the remainder of my thru.
Father Ounce
This is best ... for the environment ... depending on what you do with the "package".
longshank
03-23-2006, 02:54
Using organic material found on the forest floor may seem a "save the evironmnt." ideal, but you open yourself to anally contract a plethora of parasites that would not welcome hitchhikeres on your hike. Diahrea is not your friend, and that's the least of your worries. Most toilet paper contain enzymes which, when in contact with a small amout of h2o become active and quickly break down safely. Chemical by-products in toilet paper are seldom used, and there are sources of tp intentionally produced without any that may be present in some brands. animals **** in the woods, there's no reason we shouldn't as well. Another option could be taking a cup of water and some hand sanitizing gel and doing as the middle eastern do. Just don't shake hands with the left. They've been at it for millenia, to no ill-effect. I just bury it, using alternative green-friendly brands. I also find washing myself down with riverbed clay works just as good if not better than soap, to go slightly off-topic for a moment.
longshank
03-23-2006, 02:57
Besides, who wants a ziplock full balled-up skidmarked TP in their pack. Trying to contain filth is filthier than letting it run it's course naturally. I'ts tantmount to carrying a germ and parasite culture in your pack, which could contaminate other parts of your necessities.
hikerjohnd
03-23-2006, 12:10
Besides, who wants a ziplock full balled-up skidmarked TP in their pack. Trying to contain filth is filthier than letting it run it's course naturally. I'ts tantmount to carrying a germ and parasite culture in your pack, which could contaminate other parts of your necessities.
Amen and Amen
The LNP (leave no poop) idea is a great business opportunity.Click here (http://www.fastq.com/~jrschroeder/poop.htm) for directions on how to make poop tubes. Buy your very own SCAT machine poop tube washer! (http://www.thewireroller.com/pooptube.htm) Just park this baby at the trail head, sell or rent the poop tubes to your typcial city folk weekenders on their way onto the trail (a sign may may help: "this is a pack your s**t out trail" or "LNP - leave no poop trail"), then charge them to clean their tubes out when they return.
I think this thread scrolled off the radar before anyone had a chance to appreciate the opportunity I suggested. :D
yep no thanks on the whole poop tube thing
In regards to buring toilet paper: Take an empty tin can and riddle it with holes. Fashion a loop of wire to the top, and tie a 2 foot long string to the top. When you've done your business put the TP in the can and light it. While you're walking back to the campground you swing it gently by the string and the air coming through the holes in the can keeps the fire going until it all quickly burns up.
If you're Catholic it kind of looks like one of those smoke things the priests wave around. Except it's, er... not ;-). Kind of funny looking, but this way you don't have to take the TP back to the campsite and burn it in front of everyone else in the communal campfire (if you even have one).
This was taught to me doing Outward Bound about 10 years ago.
Just Jeff
03-27-2006, 12:04
That's a neat trick. And it doesn't surprise me that Outward Bound would make you carry an extra can just to burn TP in....hope it wasn't multi-use as a shower can! :p
Hellos,
Well, post a message about needing to buy a set of maps and you get zero response. But post something about toilet paper and you get three pages worth of answers. I think that I am getting to know this WB thing better.
I was still pretty much a newby to this site when I made this post. As I have been following the site daily while I wait to start my thru, I have learned more about the diverse personalities contained herein. The responses have ranged from confused to jocular to seriously LNT. I am glad that I did not ask for people's opinion of abortion. One guy hinted that some of the right wing LNT guys had fascist leanings. NO fires, no trekking poles, carry out your sweat drops, etc.
For those of you that thought I intended to carry the TP back to a communal campfire to burn it you're way off base. YOu simply bend over and put your lighter to it right after you make do. You stay until the burning is completely and safely finished - maybe a minute.
Yes, I do not dig or kick up "catholes." I know that this will cause some concern among the "purists" out there. First, I do not **** where I eat. I don't generally go at camp but rather along the trail. You can step 30 feet off the trail and be assured that no one will come across your leavings. I simple kick some leaves over it. If any of you hardcore LNT guys kind find my trace, I will eat it. Yes, a busy camprgound could become a minefield. Is digging all those wholes better? Don't go at camps.
Second, burying your waste means that it needs to breakdown under anaerobic conditions. But leaving it on the surface, with some loose cover, your **** can breath and breakdown aerobically, which is much quicker. The microbes that breakdown waste efficiently need oxygen. I know that this is counter to books like "How to **** in the Woods." But maybe it is time for a new paradigm. The earth is not flat.
And third, you people who think that crap along the AT needs to be carried out. Disgusting, unhygenic, nonsense! This is not Mckinley or Everest where everything remains frozen forever. All the other animals **** in these woods. There is no reason that we humans with some care and common sense (which is not really all that common, unfortunately) cannot DO the same. There are plently of places along 2200 miles of trail that we can step off and not worry about impacting our fellow hikers.
I have been hiking for 25 years and have always used the above.
Well, it has been a surprising post for me. I am sure that some people will decry my non-burying approach. They threatened Gallileo with ex-communication too.
This will be my last post on the dark matter.
Love, peace and chicken grease,
Uncas,
I hope my posts have not led you astray. I s**t like you and pray that no one steps there. We can argue about how environmentally sensitive the AT route is versus well traveled dessert canyons or famous mountain peaks, but it is a little too much for me. Don't get me wrong, I am very into LNT, but is poop a trace? A poop is a poop and, unless the poop inspector is around, who cares if it is a bear poop, a moose poop, beaver or muskrat poop, racoon's poop, mice poop, and I hear even lobster's poop. Poop is everywhere. Who cares?
That's my story and I am sticking to it.
Hellos,
No Tin Man, your links were fascinating. No astray here. Stick to it.
Thanks,,
Old Spice
03-27-2006, 23:00
My god, three pages of posts and no one states the obvious: Burning ****e stinks to high heaven!
My god, three pages of posts and no one states the obvious: Burning ****e stinks to high heaven!
Speaking from experience? :-?
Old Spice
03-28-2006, 00:15
Speaking from experience? :-?
Yeah, all I'll say is that multi-fuel stoves aren't meant for some type of things!
I have been hiking for 25 years and have always used the above.
Apparently you haven't been hiking the AT for 25 years or you wouldn't have felt the need to asked the question.
There's 1000's (actually millions) of people that hike on the AT in any given year. If only half took your approach and **** in the open only 30 feet from the trail it would reek to high heaven.
Unless, of course, your **** doesn't stink and you'll do as you please regardless.
sirbingo
06-19-2006, 10:33
I use leaves. Took a little getting used to but now I kinda preffer it.