It’s a nature phenomenon that, when you’re out for a three hour plus mountain run, at some time or another you’re going to have to have a pee. It is very good to have to pee: it shows that you’re drinking enough water to stay well hydrated. But the absolutely best thing about having to pee is that you get a 30-60 second break to squat and to really fully take in the scenery.
Take for instance this shot…
At the time of its taking, I was having a lovely old pee on the mountainside and all I could think was “Wow, this beats being inside a constricted cubicle looking at the back of a graffiti filled door”. There was a fresh mountain breeze and everything!
Just to sanitise this article a bit, I did spend a bit of time learning Leave No Trace principles wherein peeing and pooing in the wilds is well defined. Under the Principle, ‘Dispose of Waste Properly’ it tells how to pee far from water sources and to carry back home your used toilet paper (that’s assuming you’re carrying toilet paper in the first place – its heavy stuff you know).
For poo, you’re to deposit it in catholes dug 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camps and trails. This cathole should be covered and cleverly disguised once done. You wouldn’t believe how many a time I’ve spent ages digging such deep catholes into the bog, only to have filthy dirty nails for the rest of the week.
What they also fail to tell you is that, if you’re out for a few days, carrying smelly used poo-laced toilet roll isn’t fun. It’s nicer to use smooth stones and soft moss to wipe away those last vestiges. On a practical note, just make sure there’s no pine needles still stuck in the moss before wiping any fronts or behinds – long and painful story you really don’t want to know about.
I have written many posts about having to pee while doing a race so I can totally relate. Thanks for making this so informative, any ideas on how to get over stage-fright?
Could imagine that stage-fright could be a real issue alright when there are hundreds or thousands of runners all around -not really had that problem myself in the middle of desolate moutains!
If other people are around however, I find that the vast majority are very polite and look/run away – who wants to see a girl pee anyway! And sure, if someone does look, there’s probably nothing on show that they’ve not seen before ;o
So there you go Candice – just be Proud to Pee!
Hi Moire, great practical advice on something that seems to be too much of a taboo topic amongst most people. Just out of interest, have you ever tried the shewee?
Mel
Nope, not tried the shewee – Its just another thing to carry on mountain runs whenever you’re trying to keep your pack to a minimum weight. Also there is definitely something relaxing about having a squat / sit down – guys don’t know what they are missing out on!
Have you used it yourself Mel – might be more useful from the mountain biking perspective?