WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Of course you don’t want to leave behind a souvenir for another adventurer to discover. Even more importantly, poop in the woods can spread disease to other people and animals who find it. Bacteria and viruses from human poop can also wash into waterways. There, they can contaminate streams and lakes where people may be swimming or drawing drinking water while backpacking.

Here’s a solution!

BELOW TREELINE

Below treeline, you can minimize impacts by burying your poop. There’s also a new tool, called a PACT Lite Kit, to make outdoor bathroom breaks easier and more environmentally friendly.

Less than a month after the Colorado Tourism Office gave out 3,500 free kits at visitor centers statewide, hikers and campers in Leadville and Twin Lakes swept the shelves clean. So we thought you’d like to know about these nifty kits, too!

Open a PACT Lite Kit, and you’ll find

• A trowel to help you dig a cathole 6 inches deep,
• Tablets that expand into biodegradable wet wipes when you pour on a little water, and
• Tablets you can put into your cathole to help break down your poop quickly underground.
  

Each kit includes enough supplies for 20 bathroom trips, and each kit costs $35—a small price to pay for clean waters and forests. Once you have the kit, you can buy refills of wipes and tablets for another 20 bathroom trips for around $20. Of course, you can always bring your own supplies, but these new kits make it convenient.

Before you dig a cathole, be sure to move at least 200 feet (about 70 steps) away from any water sources, trails, parking areas, and campsites.

ABOVE TREELINE

Above treeline, please pack out poop, as it degrades slowly in these fragile environments. A WAG BAG®- GO Anywhere Toilet Kit® is great if you’re hiking into the high alpine.

With these kits, poop goes on a bag with a powder that turns to a deodorizing gel when used. You can then tie up the bag, pack it out, and put it in a trash can. These kits cost around $3 apiece. You can buy them individually at outdoor and sporting good stores.

TOILET PAPER FLOWERS – PLEASE PACK THEM OUT

While we’re on the topic, please pack out all toilet paper, wet wipes (except for PACT Lite Kit ones), and feminine hygiene products. You can carry two plastic bags for this purpose. Turn one inside out and use it as a glove to grab your used paper or products. Then put them inside the second bag, seal it up, and pack it out.

Or consider carrying something like a Kula Cloth, a reusable antimicrobial pee cloth with a waterproof side to wipe. Kula Cloths cost around $20 and are also available at outdoor stores.

THANK YOU!

Thanks for bearing with us on this poopy topic. And thank you for helping keep Leadville and Twin Lakes beautiful and clean!