If you can poop in the woods, you can do anything!
Life-lessons learned while squatting over cat holes in the Sierra Nevadas.
Hear me out.
I recently went on a 46-mile backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas. Prior to this adventure, I had only ever car camped — my idea of roughing it was using the nearby vault toilets because I was too lazy to walk up to the shower building with the flush toilets. So, one of the things I was most nervous about was the bathroom situation. I watched several REI educational videos about going to the bathroom in the woods and made sure I had all of the supplies I would need: a trowel for digging the hole, TP for wiping, and a “blacked-out” zip-lock bag for packing out my used TP. My friend, an experienced backpacker, recommended the blacked-out zip-lock bag — a gallon size zip-lock that you cover on both sides with duct tape because no one wants to see what’s in that bag.
We were going to cover the 46 miles in three days. My friend suggested it was possible to go poop before we left and then, because it was just three days, poop when we got back. I don’t know what GI track she is working with, but I knew that schedule would never fly with mine. Like clockwork, on day one at around 7:00 am, I was rummaging through my pack for my supplies. Nervously, I hiked away from camp and away from any water source, located what seemed like a suitable spot, dug my hole six inches deep and four inches wide, and then tried to brace myself. I did not look forward to or relish pooping in the woods. It was one of those things I didn’t have any choice about — much like how, as a single woman living alone, I have no choice but to kill all the bugs, clean up all the dog puke, and snake the hairballs out of the drains myself. It just had to be done. So I did it. And the next morning at roughly 7:00 am I did it again, and the next morning, I did it again. And now, thinking back on that experience, I realize that if I can poop in the woods, I can pretty much do anything!
Pooping in the woods forces you out of your comfort zone
If you can poop in the woods, you can do anything because you can venture outside of your comfort zone. We all have individually defined comfort zones, but I think it is safe to assume pooping in the woods is outside of most peoples’ comfort zone — and not just because it’s challenging to hover-squat over a 4-inch wide hole. There are plenty of people who won’t or can’t poop in the woods. My sister is horrified by the barbaric thought of it. My friend’s colon just will not comply. Which is why pooping in the woods is a gateway accomplishment. Once you’ve done it (you don’t even have to master it!), you’ve proven to yourself that you have the courage to do something outside of your comfort zone. What else had you previously considered doing, but thought it was just too far out there to accomplish? Guess what? You’ve pooped in the woods! NOW GO DO THAT OTHER THING!
A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. — John Assaraf.
Pooping in the woods requires you to be vulnerable
If you can poop in the woods, you can do anything because you are capable of being vulnerable. Unloading some timber in the woods where other hikers or possibly a bear could discover you with your pants around your ankles is the definition of being vulnerable. But the alternative is worse. If you’re uncomfortable or constipated, you might not get to the heights you’re capable of reaching both literally and figuratively. Achieving greatness often requires putting yourself out there. If you put yourself out there you may get a tick on your ass or a negative critique, but you can’t let parasites or haters stop you. If you can poop in the woods, you’ve proven to yourself you can be vulnerable, and fear of embarrassment can’t stop you. What else did you previously consider doing, but you didn’t pursue it because you didn’t want to put yourself out there? Guess what? You’ve pooped in the woods! NOW GET AFTER IT!
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”- Brené Brown
Pooping in the woods puts other things in perspective
If you can poop in the woods, you can do anything because you have a new perspective. After getting back from my 46-mile hike, I was talking to a friend about a state park that only allows hike-in camping at rustic campsites. When I initially visited this state park several years ago, I remembered looking at the people lugging their backpacks and coolers down the trail and thinking “there’s no way I could ever camp at this park!” At the time, the thought of only having a vault toilet was preposterous. No shower building with flush toilets? No way. But after having pooped in at least four cat holes, it seems comical to me that a campsite with a vault toilet is considered “rustic.” Now, I consider a vault toilet a three-star amenity! I’m confident I could successfully camp (and poop) at that park. Compared to my Sierras’ experience, hiking two miles to a campsite with a vault toilet is a piece of cake. If you can poop in the woods, you’ve got a new perspective on what you’re capable of and what seems impossible. What else did you previously consider doing but didn’t attempt because it seemed impossible at the time? Now compare that to pooping in the woods. YOU CAN DO IT!
“The optimist sees the donut, the pessimist sees the hole.” ― Oscar Wilde
Pooping in the woods isn’t required to apply the lessons I learned from my experience to your own life. However, if you do poop in the woods, I only endorse responsible pooping in accordance with the principles of Leave No Trace.
