How to Shit in the Woods, 3rd Edition: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art

Ok, it's not a masterpiece of English literature. What is there to analyze here? This is like arguing the merits of Benny Hill. For 8 bucks, buy this book. It has a few practical tips about where and how to deficate in the woods (hence the title). Great. The introduction is a tears-in-your-eyes funny anecdote on that topic that is probably worth the price. Then, you have a conversation piece for your bookshelf that will be appreciated by almost everyone. And, the author goes to some length to argue that this title is NOT vulgar (the book includes a useful lexicon for the word that is also worth the price). And, you'll have something to think about the next time you take a hurried necessary behind a tree or abandon a diaper in the Wal-Mart parking lot! Enough analysis already.

Few experiences do more to mar the outdoorsy afternoon or the 8 day backpack trek than stepping over a log and discovering your expensive waffle-stompers are filled with the leavings of another hiker. The problem is as old as mankind. At least, it's as old as mankind after he began noticing what was between his toes. The Bible addressed the problem, probably in the first surviving form, by demanding that people walk away from others with a spear or spade, dig a hole, and cover it. That method works well where the traffic is light. It works less well on heavily traveled forest trails. Meyer offers 102 pages of suggestions, anecdotes and solutions for novices who want to experience the woods, don't want to create a problem, recognize it's a necessary body function and must be addressed. I'd recommend it for everyone who plans a trip into the outdoors and isn't already familiar with how to deal with the function in a way that's not objectionable to those who follow. I'd make it required reading for those who go to the areas I'm likely to visit.

I love the humorous, down to earth way this subject is approached. Originally I bought this book because the title and the picture on the cover made me chuckle. I've had it in my possession for at least five years. Then a little over a week ago, I decided to read it. To my surprise, I learned that this is a serious book with important information to help a would be hiker stay healthy and leave the environment no worse for the wear. Wish I'd had this book years ago before I started trekking around in the wilds. I found this book fast paced and full of vital information. Though I'm a grandma, this book made me feel like I was receiving counsel from an older wiser grandma imparting to me the secrets of how to take care of the intimate processes of life when venturing away from the accoutrements of running water and the other trappings of civilization. I recommend this book to all who like hiking, camping and otherwise messing around in the great outdoors.

Book Review: How to Shit in the Woods 1/3/00 Mozella Rainwater Sunshine If you want to enjoy the woods and leave the place so others can come behind you and enjoy the same space, then this is the book to read before you shop for supplies. And be sure to also put it in your backpack to consult in case you forget a detail or two. In reading this book, it is evident that the author backed her material with solid research and the experience of years of trekking in the wilds all over the world. Ms. Meyer tells you how to keep your entire gastrointestinal track healthy and how to be comfortable when nature has to eliminate your private bio-waste material. There's even a chapter devoted to women and our special concerns in this delicate category. Be sure to read this book with your children before sending them off to camp so they can come back to you as healthy as they left you.I wish this book had been available before I went on my first backpacking expedition back in the early 80's. Thanks to the Powers That Be for freedom of the press and the unhindered flow of information.