Leave No Trace Hiking - When Nature Calls

My mom always asked us kids before leaving the house for a car trip, "Did you check to the bathroom?' in the vain hope there would be fewer stops along the way.

Even as adults, no matter how we time things and even if we stop at a pit toilet at the trailhead, we often need a nature break along our hikes. There's a way to be more mindful about this to truly leave no trace on the trails.

Leaving traces
Image - Dana Hendricks

How many times have you seen little sodden piles of facial tissue along the trails? While those handy little packs of tissues are a convenient way to carry and take care of business while hiking, they are a lasting reminder of your nature break. Why?

An engineering friend of mine who worked at one of the big paper companies explained that those products are designed to be used more than once for things like tears and nose dabbing. They are specifically manufactured to be far sturdier and resistant to breakdown than toilet paper tissue. Hence the persistence of facial tissue along trail sides that seems to take forever (never?) to break down.

It's another reminder that when nature calls, we have responsibilities on the trails if we want to practice “leave no trace” hiking.

Here a couple of ideas to wean us from using facial tissues that litter the trail and woods. They aren't the only ones, but it will get you started.

Pack It Out
Bring a small plastic or wax paper bag and pack the used tissue out to dispose of at home. Positive: nothing left behind

Reusable Cloths
Use an old bandana, cut your own from tshirt rags or buy a Kula cloth - small reusable antimicrobial pee cloths that can snap on the outside of your backpack to dry and can be laundered. Positives: no waste.

Pee Funnels
Stand up and go - what's not to like? Carry these in a plastic bag or try this handy little origami-like number that unfolds and fits in your pocket in its own packet. Positives: no waste

Catholes

Pack a small kit with trowel and TP (take out the core) and hand sanitizer or purchase small kits that can help when you need to dig a cathole. Deposit solid waste in a cathole dug 6-8" down, and at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished. Bury toilet paper deep in a cathole or pack the toilet paper out along with hygiene products.

Pack Out Dog Doo

Really. Do It. Leave the trail better than you found it.

Being mindful of trail integrity and caring about other hikers who use the trails after us is a great way to leave no trace and preserve our beautiful outdoor resources.