What to Doo?

Now for a little bathroom talk. There are privies at every lean-too which are spaced every 10-12 miles along the AT but I have opted for digging a hole and squatting rather than dumping a load in a wooden box that smells not so fresh.  I may have been wrong about the smooth stone as an alternative to TP; a conclusion I came to after trying the technology out on day two.

Originally wanted to use natural resources, so as to reduce my carbon footprint, but since privies are so frequently spaced on the trail I won't have to burry TP but just toss it in the privy which is expected.

The privy is sort of a scary place; a small wooded shed with a hole cut in the wooden bench, with a deep dark and smelly hole plastered with the doos of others. I also have this fear of taking a seat and having a spider crawl up and bite me on the behind. So, on day two, I found a wooded and private area behind the lean-too, dug my hole, did my business, and used a smooth stone. I was very proud that I had done a doo doo in the woods and that I was utilizing this stone-age technology for clean up until I experienced severe chaffing that night.

From there I tried picked leaves, dead leaves, then I went back to the smooth stone, but nothing seemed to complete the job. Now that I have spent a bit of time in the wilderness with several nights of chafing in a row, I know what I need, what I don't need and what I need more of. Alas, I have caved and decided that there will be a roll of toilet paper in my pack from now on.