In the news from Alaska:

Woman attacked using latrine

Pretty hospitable of that bear to help her wipe her butt.

Read this yesterday, yep in the summer we would always look for bear sign when going to the outhouse when I lived in AK. Winter, thats a little off but there have been reports of bears over wintering outside in AK the last few years where things are warmer near the ocean. Some lakes have not frozen over this year.

And that’s why we don’t through food scraps down the latrine! I think the woman should be less concerned about the bite bleeding, and more concerned about the ghastly pathogens the bear may have transfered from down below to the bottom above.

That literally “came back and bit her in the ass”.

Learned this the hard way years ago on a canoe trip. Someone didn't like the butterscotch pudding after supper and dumped theirs down the pit. The next person found a bear at the pit trying to get the pudding. Lesson is obvious: don't throw food garbage down the pit.

Well I finally understand why my sister-in-law from Wasilla refuses to use an outhouse and opts instead to simply pee in the woods....

Always, always ,always look in there before you sit down. Always.

You just never know...

And if was a man, what the bear might have bit. "ouch!"

JWilder: "Always, always ,always look in there before you sit down. Always.


You just never know..."

Completely agree with you JWilder. I’m a looker for sure. Got to make sure. I find this funny because the Tumblehome Podcast guys did a show a few months back and they were saying they never look in the latrine. Always look before you dangle your precious parts over a hole in the ground! Always!

Tony

There goes my never look down the hole rule.

Savage Voyageur: "There goes my never look down the hole rule. "

yup - me too

I always take a stick or tree branch and stir around before sitting, aka spiders, etc.

Brown noser.

hobbydog: "Brown noser. "

That is just good comedy right there!

Besides spiders ; wasps and hornets, birds, rodents of any kind. Anything threatening to the southern region that could shorten a trip...

RLJ: "I always take a stick or tree branch and stir around before sitting, aka spiders, etc."

I always chuck a small rock in when walking up. Had a heart stopping moment quite a few years ago, I was just about to sit down and a chipmunk came flying out!

This is one of those rare moments I wish I hadn't seen a post. One of my weird phobia's is open toilets in the wilderness. Every time I plop down on the seat I think, whats going to bite me today? Now I have to worry about bears? I was just getting past my snake phobia.

How long do you think that bear was down there?

Some would say many moons!

I always think there is something down there (a bear never crossed my mind; I'll add it to my list). I do a thorough inspection before exposing my booty to the underworld.

GopherAdventure: "

JWilder: "Always, always ,always look in there before you sit down. Always.



You just never know..."

Completely agree with you JWilder. I’m a looker for sure. Got to make sure. I find this funny because the Tumblehome Podcast guys did a show a few months back and they were saying they never look in the latrine. Always look before you dangle your precious parts over a hole in the ground! Always!


Tony"

I just finished the two episodes on "latrine talk". I emailed my wife bragging how I just listened to a 2 hour discussion on "wilderness pooping".

She did not seem as excited or interested as I was about it....

RLJ: "I always take a stick or tree branch and stir around before sitting, aka spiders, etc."

Same here.
I use a small balsam twig.
I even had a 4 inch fishing spider, under rim of my cabin toilet once, and I've seen them attack lures.... both big & small ;)

Mordan: "How long do you think that bear was down there?


Some would say many moons!
"

Clever!

Latrines are such an interesting and complex phenomenon in our travels. Such innocent things to instill such dread. LOL Someone should write a book.

I worked at GS camps that had open platform tents in a circle. The counselors stayed in one tent and you could hear a pin drop if anyone got up in the middle of the night.

Some of the best laughs we had were listening to campers prepare to go to the latrine in the middle of the night. Such angst! Such begging of friends to make the journey together! Tempers flare, voice raise! The bad friends roll over in their sleeping bags. The good friends join the perilous journey. Then, you would watch them slowly and tenuously trek to the outhouse, huddled together, grabbing hands for safety...to face the unknown terrors of the outhouse...ha!

Well, I'm going to beat Miss Molly to the punch. There's another reason to always check first – and no, I'm not sh------ you about this:

Man admits crawling into outhouse pit – again

and another reason to look first....

Bizzarre event on Ima