The book How to Shit in the Woods : An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art, by Kathleen Meyer is just what the title sounds like: a book on defecation, urination, and even menstruation for people going someplace where there aren't the kind of bathrooms they are used to. The author says in the introduction: "My aim was twofold: first, to offer badly needed succor to backcountry travelers struggling with things like balance, bugs, embarrassment, and yellowing tennis shoes (I often encountered neophyte rafters who without the bathroom door to close and lock behind them opted for a week of cramps and constipation); and second, to provide practical and environmental methods for keeping wild places pristine, esthetically and bacterially." It doesn't sound like anyone could write a whole book on the subject, but apparently there's a lot more to it than the node how to take a shit outside has; what I saw of the book doesn't seem to be filler, and all the reviews I've read have been positive.

In introducing beginning campers to wilderness ethics, it may be helpful to introduce proper sanitation techniques in a fun manner. For children ages 10-13, we used two methods:

1. We named the sanitation trowel, "Mr. Scoopy." Doing so not only removed the stigma of carrying it, but campers would argue over who had the honor of carrying Mr. Scoopy for the group.
2. The following song, which can be sung (in the round, if you like) to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat":
   Scoop, scoop, scoop your poop,
   six inches underground,
   200 feet from trail or stream,
   where it won't be found.
   The follow-up to the song was to make sure that the children knew both distances (six inches-- made easier when REI's sanitation trowels began being manufactured with a ruler embossed on it; and 200 feet (sometimes 100 feet, it varied with the wilderness area we visited and how heavily impacted it was with visitors)-- marked off by assuming a 3 foot stride and counting 65 steps).