Pinching a Loaf !

Natures call in the redwoods. Getting it done the right way.

by M. D. Vaden

 

Oh ... isn't this an awkward page !!

Seems a simple task, doesn't it? Taking a dump in the redwood forest. There's actually a few things about pinching a loaf in the redwoods or any forest that some people do not realize or understand. Maybe they are in rush, but some do not understand.

In the redwood forest, say, along Avenue of the Giant or trails like James Irvine in Prairie Creek, people can get caught in a "pinch" before they get to a restroom. Its annoying to stop and take a photo or walk around a redwood and find wads of tissue or piles. Let's suppose they are ignorant. So now teach them. Here's the 2 part system for pinching a loaf in the woods:

1. Do not pick the closest trunk to the turnout, road or tral.

Sneak back a few layers deeper. Pick the 2nd even 3rd trunk back away. Also, its more likely that another driver, hiker or photographer will stop and look at a redwood, rather than a fallen log.

2. Do not leave paper exposed on the surface. Know why?

Cover your pile with a handfull of needles or loose chunk of bark. It retains moisture and speeds up decompotion. That's why white tissue left on the surface lingers for a year or two and looks like clutter.

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If everyone did these two things when they find themselves in a pinch, 90% of those tiny white wads behind redwoods would dissappear from th parks.

 

Image: Bear Scat portrait taken at Smith River Forks near Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park