Camping By the River - LNT Toilet

[Col. Flagg]

I have no idea where the OP is located, but I suspect he has a pretty good idea whether his trip idea is safe.   

 

That's what the crew thought about the staff at Ponil Creek. They were wrong. Hence my response.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Col. Flagg

[The Blancmange]

That's what the crew thought about the staff at Ponil Creek. They were wrong. Hence my response.

So you extrapolate from that tragic, freak event that there are no circumstances, anywhere, where scouts can responsibly camp near a river?

 

There was a tragic accident in the Boundary Waters last year where 2 were killed when a storm brought down a tree. Should Northern Tier be closed?

[John-in-KC]

Camp on the far shore of the river, or the far shore of the creek.

 

Multiple problems all solved at one fell swoop.

[Col. Flagg]

So you extrapolate from that tragic, freak event that there are no circumstances, anywhere, where scouts can responsibly camp near a river?

 

There was a tragic accident in the Boundary Waters last year where 2 were killed when a storm brought down a tree. Should Northern Tier be closed?

 

I was merely noting for him, in case he had not fully thought through the scenarios, about the dangers of camping in a flood plain.

 

Second, what happened at Philmont was not a "freak" event. It was a flash flood, the group was camped by the river and was below the evident high water mark left by a previous flash flood not 4 weeks earlier. When you live in this part of the country you learn to recognize the signs of flash floods...even in a clear sky.

 

Lastly, what happened in NT *was* a freak event. You are the one that said close NT, not me.

[Tatung42]

When in doubt, ask the local land manager how they would like you to dispose of waste.

[EagleonFire]

Kitty litter is terrible. We tried it, we hated it. After a bunch of research we do a 2 bucket system with a 50/50 mix of peat moss and cedar shavings. It is lighter to transport and doesn't have the issues we experienced with humans urinating too much for the kitty litter to be effective.

 

We start the trip with a bag in one bucket and in the bottom of the bag is about 2 inches of material. The second bucket just has material in it and after each use the person just throws a scoop of material onto their waste this really keeps the smell down as well.

 

BTW I learned this by researching composting toilets for off grid use as well as getting info from horse stable owners.

[frankpalazzi]

When in doubt, ask the local land manager how they would like you to dispose of waste.

You stole my thunder!  When in doubt, ask "The Man". (or The "Lady"--no Chauvinism intended.) 

[perdidochas]

Yes, but as noted above, one should not really be camping in a flood plain. And lets face it, if the reasoning for camping in the flood plain is that "It only ever gets so high" then the reasoning for not urinating in the flood plain is gone. If the water only gets so high except on really, really rare occasions, then urine will make its way through the system before any "flood" can cause it to be intermingled with fresh water.

 

Feces is another matter. Kitty litter being the best option.

Depends on the local conditions, in terms of the flood plain.  Watch the weather, and it's not a problem, at least in the Southeast.  I wouldn't make those recommendations for the Southwest. 

Edited April 21, 2017 by perdidochas