:roflmao:

It's not like it's difficult to find a corn field in your neck of the woods. Geez, you even have an abundance of natural toilet "paper" if the urge for #2 calls.

So. It's OK to pee into a water source?

Actually, you are correct, and I am surprised. I TEACH LNT, and when I double-checked the text it doesn't specifically address urination, but it does address wastewater (I do cover proper locations for urination in my classes).

Except for the food chunks, I would consider urine as wastewater, wouldn't you? Yeah, I know it's usually sterile, but I still don't want to have to drink it downstream. Please, get 200' away from water sources.

I've never tried peeing on a car. Have to try that one. It would have to be a big one, like an Expedition or something.

Which reminds me. This whole peeing thing really caused a stir awhile back over on the IL side of the river. I guess cyclists would go on long country rides and when nature called, they would find the nearest barn. I'm not a farmer, but I guess there is something about pig feed being sterile that really set them off. Things escalated . . . exacerbated by the city slicker v country thing, and ended up with some farmer attacking a poor female cyclist, with serious injury. He claimed she spit on his car. She claimed he followed her and ran her off the road. Probably both were true. To this day, it is not wise to cycle in Monroe County. That's pronounced MON-roe to the natives.

What is LNT?

What about water that is destined to flow into the ocean... small seasonal creeks that are really street drains that run through some parks and wild areas? I am sure these are NOT "water sources," at least to humans.

Dude! We're going to poll you 'most likely to register as a sex offender in the near future'.

DanO

If it has anything to do with belly-button LNT, I am quite an expert. I teach several night classes on the subject and published several definitive treatises on the subject.

OK. If you look at what I wrote, I specifically did not say that it's ok to pee in the water. I said thast peeing in the WOODS, not in water sources is not going to hurt anyone/anything.
I have an issue with some of the idiosyncratic LNT ethics.
For example: It's OK and encouraged to pee in the colorado river on a rafting trip.
It's OK and encouraged to poo in the ocean, say on a sea kayaking trip, as long as you do dont poo directly on a beach, etc.
Do I want to drink urine? No, but by the time it hits the water, it gets diluted and your water filter/purifier/iodine/etc, deals with the rest of the stuff.

Urinating into water sources isn't a problem - your urine is going to be a lot more sterile than whatever source of water you happen to be using for a john at the time. No, no one wants to drink it, but you're not going to make any people or animals sick. Now, there may be a question about chemicals from manufactured foods and dyes, etc leaving your body and entering the environment, but that's a separate issue, and one that is more difficult to address. #2 is a problem in fresh water sources, and may in some salt water sources (I have no expertise in LNT, I just know the basics), but out in the ocean is fine... though when I went sailing with Outward Bound, we preferred to use a bucket, since it's easier than hanging your butt out over the side, not to mention less exposed...

Again, what is LNT?

Regarding your sailing experience... Technically the "bucket and chuckit" method is illegal if you are inside of 3 miles... However, if you go directly into the ocean, it is NOT illegal. Go figure.

Heard of the police patroling at 3 one winter morning and coming across a drunk guy goin' on the door lock, seems that the lock was froze. They stopped him before he got behind the wheel. True or not, I don't know.

LNT= Leave No Trace, a series of ethics/codes/etc. which people follow in wilderness areas, camping, and in some other areas, too!

http://www.lnt.org/

the 7 LNT principles:

http://www.lnt.org/programs/lnt7/

Yep. Idiosyncratic american laws.

off topic, but hows the chain tentioner bostonfixed?

Thanks... had no idea... been using the same principals for years in Baja... Thanks to old Boy Scout camp ethics and friends I camp with that highly respect the earth.

Actually, not true. In larger urban centres (the Thames is one of the most studied in this regard), there is a growing effect on aquatic animals (mainly fish) because of the amount of hormones (oestregen) in the water - a hormone exreted both naturally, and also present in the urine of those taking contraceptive medication.

This hormone, even in small amounts, is also thought to cause health problems in males in regards to fertility/testicular cancer....read a brief synopsis here:

http://i-mass.com/oems0901.html

First, BostonFixed, thanks for explaining what LNT means. IMHO, it drives me nuts when people use acronyms that are unexplained. :-)


BostonFixed, You are correct. I had my hackles up over some of the other posts, and I took your comment one step further to make my point. Sorry about that.

I guess it's a regional sensitivity thing too. I do most of my backpacking in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains of Southern California. There is precious little water available on these trails as it is. I don't want it peed into.

On the other hand, when I'm scuba diving in the frigid Pacific...

They still have 'golden nuggets' washing ashore of the Beaches of Miami Beach..In winter that might have a slight warming effect.

Barbarians! Dive dry and get a pee valve! :D

It's never a problem at the start of the ride home. It's the last 2-3 miles that are the longest. That, and there's one stoplight that is always red when I get to do the pee dance.

:D