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Worst toilet on a route?


pmonks

19-May-2009
1:10:13 AM

We've all seen them - a hole or crack on a belay ledge that looks like the perfect toilet, only to discover that every other person who's passed by in the last 50 years had the same idea and now a putrid stench wafts out of the crevice.

Anyone have strong memories of particularly bad vertical lavatories you've run into, perhaps so that we can all avoid making them worse?

My vote goes to the crack / cave on the second belay of Dream of Wild Turkeys at Red Rocks in Nevada - it all seemed innocuous enough until my partner pissed into it, at which point we were both sent reeling by the foul redolence that sprang forth.


wallwombat

19-May-2009
7:38:53 AM

Does the whole of Centenial Glen count?


Superstu

19-May-2009
8:47:41 AM

One of the bivvy ledges high up on the nose of el cap, can't remember which one but locals refer to it as the sewer. Anyway we were intending to sleep on it, but the stench was so obnoxious that we opted for a suspended portaledge 5m below the ledge. It was still pretty bad down there.


pmonks

19-May-2009
8:51:47 AM

Centennial Glen doesn't count - this is a thread on "toilets on a route", not "routes in a toilet". ;-)

widewetandslippery

19-May-2009
9:01:48 AM

Its not the worst but the 2nd belay on Watchtower Crack smells pretty urinated.

martin saint

19-May-2009
9:38:09 AM

My go

It won't be permanent because of its position but...

In January I reached the final belay at the top of summit rocks on Mt Cook and someone had elected to sh*t right there, on top of a rock, not 30cm from the fixed belay.

They could have loosened their clove hitch and hung out and away, but they just wanted to share - so thoughtful :)


allroundgoodguy

19-May-2009
1:31:23 PM

Toilets in action

One Easter a few years ago climbing Brolga got to the large ledge on the 3rd? pitch where it joins Salamander. I think about 3 climbs get to this ledge
and converge into the one line to get to the top. Being Easter this was Bumbly heaven (hell ?) with groups on all of these climbs, another party had just started leading the final pitch up to the top. So we had no option but to wait our turn. By this time the ledge was getting crowded with at least 6 other people hangin out. No problems it’s a big ledge, weather was pleasant, not too hot, until somebody declared they had to go. No amount of pleading by his belayer or offers of que jumping by others could put him off. The time was now, when a mans got to go, a mans got to go, It suddenly became a very small ledge, with a very small bush as shelter at one end and every one else crowded at the far end …. Ok no more graphic descriptions.

I have no idea who you are, but if it was you, you know who you are. I’m scarred for life & My psychologist thanks you.

widewetandslippery

19-May-2009
1:47:38 PM

Was it a number one or as I have a horrible feeling a number 2? If it was a number 2 he should of been suggested with the threat of violence to rap off. Harness leg loops work well for keeping the poo in until you get to the ground.

audtracol

19-May-2009
2:09:04 PM

3rd belay ledge on Resignation was a stinker about 5 weeks ago.


pmonks

19-May-2009
2:53:25 PM

On 19/05/2009 martin saint wrote:
>In January I reached the final belay at the top of summit rocks on Mt
>Cook and someone had elected to sh*t right there, on top of a rock, not
>30cm from the fixed belay.

Oooh that reminds me of another one!

At some point more than a decade ago I felt compelled to attempt an ascent of surely the best climb at Shipley Upper (the "Giles Bradbury Memorial Stretch", for those who aren't sure which route I mean).

I guess I wasn't the only one to do it that day (although my justification for doing it wasn't quite as creative) because there at the top, less than a foot from where my hands were clenching the top, sat a small monument of wilting bondi cigars, doing their best impression of a Lincoln Log set.

I guess some people will go to any length to get some privacy...


IdratherbeclimbingM9

19-May-2009
3:24:19 PM

On 19/05/2009 pmonks wrote:
>I guess some people will go to any length to get some privacy...

There is no privacy anymore. Even those who do the big walls of Yosemite have found hordes of spotters down in the meadow with all manner of gadgetry to catch them out...

surfinclimb

19-May-2009
7:39:22 PM

I was guiding a group of yr 9 students up D major at Araps. When the first kid got up to the top of pitch 2 he told me he was busting to go to the toilet. I explained he could either wait or go over there behind the rock if he was in serious need. After less than 2 minutes he was back, all good.
It was only after everyone was up and we were starting to walk off the back when we hit the track and there in the middle just behind the rock was a fresh turd. I thought the kid wanted to pee but intead he droped a brick on the track. All I could do was put a big rock on it and wait for it to break down.
The weird bit was that the kid didn't even seem slightly emberrased


allroundgoodguy

19-May-2009
8:34:11 PM

On 19/05/2009 widewetandslippery wrote:
>Was it a number one or as I have a horrible feeling a number 2? If it was
>a number 2 he should of been suggested with the threat of violence to rap
>off. Harness leg loops work well for keeping the poo in until you get to
>the ground.

Yes assume the worst & there were suggestions of violence among the many helpful ideas people were offering. Not sure who was the most embarrassed this poor guy or his mate. but that small bush up there still looks very healthy & well nourished.


gordoste

19-May-2009
8:46:08 PM

what the hell, has nobody learned that your body won't let you shit all over yourself (unless you're really scared). seriously, i just hold it in... sometimes it's almost painful but at least i don't mess it up for others


wallwombat

19-May-2009
8:46:35 PM

I imagine you looked a lot like your user icon when that happened.


Eduardo Slabofvic

19-May-2009
9:35:44 PM

Macraderma (or how ever its spelt) at Frog has received many a grogan


wombly

20-May-2009
1:23:10 PM

I propose that we rename 'big grassy' to something more appropriate, given the amount of excrement that
flows off there.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

20-May-2009
1:38:44 PM

On 20/05/2009 wombly wrote:
>I propose that we rename 'big grassy' to something more appropriate, given
>the amount of excrement that
>flows off there.

?
This is sad news.
Whenever I have been there it has been 'clean' but that is a while ago now (last was Jan '08).
I am disappointed about this.


Pat

20-May-2009
4:19:33 PM

On 19/05/2009 gordoste wrote:
>what the hell, has nobody learned that your body won't let you shit all
>over yourself (unless you're really scared). seriously, i just hold it
>in... sometimes it's almost painful but at least i don't mess it up for
>others

Sorry to contradict you gordoste, but I have suffered catastrophic sphincter failure enroute. Believe me,
my body did what I least wanted it to do and I wasn't scared - it must have been a bad bean! They were
my best superman undies as well.


wombly

20-May-2009
5:02:04 PM

In terms of logs it wasn't too bad - despite the large number of parties that get up there it wasn't too
noticeable, but prior to our dousing on-route (30 mm of rain overnight) there was a fairly strong smell of
piss.

There are 22 messages in this topic.