Groovin' in the high country

Recently noticed a good story by R. Scott Rappold at the Colorado Springs Gazette about the growing problem of human waste from backpackers in the Colorado high country. He writes that:

"The Conundrum Hot Springs near Aspen is among Colorado’s most magnificent natural wonders — warm pools near timberline, surrounded by the jagged peaks of the spectacular Elk Mountains, reached only by a nine-mile hike into the wilderness.

"But the springs are also nine miles from the nearest bathroom and, until last summer, most of the 2,000 backpackers who visited the springs each year were relieving themselves anywhere.

"'Our biggest issue in there is pretty much human waste. Unburied human waste and toilet paper were evident at 71 percent of (camp) sites,' said Martha Moran, a recreation manager with the White River National Forest.

"The waste was washing into the very springs people were swimming in, resulting in high fecal coliform levels in the water."

Yes, it seems that it is well past time for backpackers to adopt the same standards as river-runners and to acknowledge that if too many well-meaning people camp in the same places, then they are going to have to use a portable waste system. On the river, those systems are called "groovers." In the backcountry it seems that campers are going to have to be prepared to use the many available lightweight products - bags with gel, mostly - for packing out their own waste.

Most backpackers go into the backcountry with high standards and ethics. Now, if they are going to popular destinations like Conundrum Hot Springs, they need to go in with groover bags too.

It's kind of weird, but many otherwise sophisticated people, who are now even used to picking up after their dogs, won't be able to handle the thought of managing their own waste in a way that is considerate of other campers. On long river trips, as people began to break things down to their elementary level, the state of the groover generally becomes a humorous source of fireside obsession and conversation.

With time, people might gradually grow up and deal with their own waste in the backcountry in an enlightened fashion. In the meantime, it sure is something to think about while soaking in the less-than-pristine hot springs.