Dear Abby,
On Sunday, I went climbing with my mentor, "Pat." We went to a remote crag where we were the only ones and were having a blast climbing when I realized I had to take a dump. Being a Responsible Climber, I grabbed my shovel, tp, plastic baggy and headed out to a remote spot to do my business.
When I was finished, I noticed an pile of human shit off to the side. At first I couldn't believe it, but then I remembered that Pat had also had to go about an hour before. Pat has been climbing for years and years and is not some n00b
I was at a loss as to how to discuss this. - i'm usually too tactless and I'm not trying to reprimand my mentor. I thought everyone knows that you should either bury the poo at least 6 inches deep & pack out the TP - or get one of those nifty wag-bags they had at the U-Climb clinic and pack the whole thing out. Should I have explained to him that I always have a shovel (or a bag in the winter time) that he could borrow when nature calls? Should I give him a copy of How To Shit in the Woods by Kathleen Meyer? What would you have done in this situation?
Sincerely,
Tactless
all names and dates have been changed to protect the identity of the Shitter
Dear Abby
-
Horatio Felacio
- Posts: 3338
- Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2002 7:26 pm
Well, it depends how hard the two of you climb.
Does pat climb 8a (thats french for 13b), do you climb 8a.
Whoever climbs 8a or harder gets to call the shots, no questions asked, but if neither of you do it becomes a complicated situation. If you both climb around the same grade then it can be an difficult discussion, but if you climb at least a number grade harder you can bring it up with no hard feelings, but he doesn't have to listen. If pat climbs at least one number grade harder then you need to keep your trap shut. Two number grades and the other person has to listen and should still be friends. Three number grades is easy, but not as easy as if you climbed 8a.
Follow this advice and you will never be in an awkward situation with your partner or mentor.
Does pat climb 8a (thats french for 13b), do you climb 8a.
Whoever climbs 8a or harder gets to call the shots, no questions asked, but if neither of you do it becomes a complicated situation. If you both climb around the same grade then it can be an difficult discussion, but if you climb at least a number grade harder you can bring it up with no hard feelings, but he doesn't have to listen. If pat climbs at least one number grade harder then you need to keep your trap shut. Two number grades and the other person has to listen and should still be friends. Three number grades is easy, but not as easy as if you climbed 8a.
Follow this advice and you will never be in an awkward situation with your partner or mentor.
Living the dream
-
Pru
I am with you Tactless. As the number of climbers goes up we have to defecate responsibly, or deal with the smell mess, bacteria and loss of access. In your mentor's day people just tossed their cig butts on the ground. We are going to have to start living greener or deal with unsustainability. I was out at the crag with some Chinese neophytes. They tossed some wrappers on the ground when they were done with their granola bars. I went to pick them up telling them that this is their backyard, that if everyone did this we would be swimming in granola bar wrappers. They got the message very quick. About you and your mentor and the implied social hierarchy, it is time for the hare to turn and rend the fox.
