Toileting in Wilderness Areas

used toilet paper in the wilderness

Fynbos has evolved to burn. But not as often as hikers go to the loo.

burnt protea Cederberg Wilderness area 2020

Early summer fire, Cederberg, 2020, after someone lit toilet paper.

Common sense, as well as official conservation and general outdoor literature, discourage the use of toilet paper when hiking / camping outdoors.

When you must pooh, take any used toilet paper back down with you. Don't burn it.

Otherwise use age old methods.

  • pack a trowel; an empty light water bottle, environmentally-friendly soap;
  • dig a hole more than 30 meters away from streams, ponds etc;
  • 15 cm deep is minimum suggested - though some places in the Cape Fold mountains don’t easily present such terrain, so ...
  • do your best;
  • wash hands.
dead millipede burnt by fire

fire victim

Don’t do this. Anywhere. Least of all few meters from a stream. Like in this case.

used toilet paper in the Cederberg Wilderness Area

And this.

used toilet paper in the veld

... why the happy-cloud motif?!

Near Kruger se Land, Cederberg, looking between Middleberg North and Grysbokpunt over Boskloof to the Banglyn

Once organized, enjoy the view.

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