Outhouses

[JoshPosh]

Now I have mentioned before that majority of the camping sites that I've been to did at one time have a small community in the area a long time ago. There was no running water so they had outhouses. These outhouses are really old and haven't been used for a long time. They are old and if you sit on them you might fall into the hole. The weird part is that even though it is old and nobody has used it in a long time, you still can smell the old fecal matter. I would never use one because there is bug that could potentially creep up out of the hole and get you in the sensitive area.

This is a picture I found on an outhouse in the old west. But it is similar to the ones I've seen in the old fishing villages in Hawaii.

 

[JessiFox]

Oh yuck, that's rough for sure, and honestly in cases like that it might be better to just go off into the woods a bit lol. Makes you really appreciate living in this day and age and not having to deal with that kind of thing as a constant, huh?

 

[Northern Dancer]

Well...this is what we use at base camp. [It can also be used as a wash or shower stand too]. When we are in the interior we are compelled to use the thunder box. No matter what the situation, we make sure that it is clean to our standards. People think that guys are okay with outhouses that are best suited for the people who wrecked them. Not so - if you are going to be camping with your buds for a week or so - cleanliness and health are of real importance.

This is a thunder box; I wonder why they called it that? it is our custom to bring a toilet seat and attach thereto.

 

[campforums]

Are those thunder boxes part of the camp site? How do they keep it from filling up?

 

[Northern Dancer]

Are those thunder boxes part of the camp site? How do they keep it from filling up?

Good questions - there is a thunder box for each interior camp sight. The ministry rotates the boxes and will move them to another area and cover in the old one. They don't come with seats so I make it a point to take one. At the end of the trip I just leave it attached to the box. Also - when I took a wilderness camping seminar the instructor suggested that this would be a place to seek shelter in the midst of a severe thunder/electrical storm. [Staying in tents is not suggested.] The suggestion is made because the boxes are a short distance away from the actual camp site [out of sight but within hearing distance] but enough into the forested area to provide some protection. The regular guide lines still apply.

 

[campforums]

WHAT!? The seminar instructor actually suggested taking cover from a thunderstorm inside a toilet? Frankly, I think I'll take my chances with the lightning.

It is good that you leave the seat, I'm sure the next batch of campers would appreciate that. Also it saves you having to lug back a used toilet seat at the end of the trip...

 

[Northern Dancer]

WHAT!? The seminar instructor actually suggested taking cover from a thunderstorm inside a toilet? Frankly, I think I'll take my chances with the lightning.

It is good that you leave the seat, I'm sure the next batch of campers would appreciate that. Also it saves you having to lug back a used toilet seat at the end of the trip...

Oops...I better make that a bit clear. Gathering around the thunder box on the ground is recommended not in it. THANK YOU for bringing that little point up. Man...I gotta watch what I say.!

 

[campforums]

Oh okay.... hahahhaha, I guess that is a little bit better but I still don't see how it would provide much protection. Especially for more than one person.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Oh okay.... hahahhaha, I guess that is a little bit better but I still don't see how it would provide much protection. Especially for more than one person.

Thanks again - I can just see the confusion on the faces as people processed that thought.

True - I had the impression that it was a last resort. If you can think for a moment being at a camp site - organized for no more that nine persons - three tents. Behind you is a wall of trees and in front a vast open water way. And the storm is coming your way, big time. You really don't have a lot of choices. We are talking about a severe electrical storm. I've gone through some horrific storms but did not head for the thunder box. But...when you have to make a safety decision you do what you have to do.

 

[JoshPosh]

Wow. Thunder boxes. Where did that name come from? But anyways, it's good that that your local forestry department supplies them. So they make these thunder boxes and hole, then after awhile they will cover them up and put a thunder boxes elsewhere? These old outhouses, you can get a lot of nasty critters at the bottom over time. I would take a dump in those old ones I described earlier. Nasty!!!

 

[Northern Dancer]

Wow. Thunder boxes. Where did that name come from? But anyways, it's good that that your local forestry department supplies them. So they make these thunder boxes and hole, then after awhile they will cover them up and put a thunder boxes elsewhere? These old outhouses, you can get a lot of nasty critters at the bottom over time. I would take a dump in those old ones I described earlier. Nasty!!!

Everyone is into environmental issues today and the Ministry [of Natural Resources] has increased supervision of such things. However, there is a lot of Crown Land that is unsupervised. In that case those of us who take our camping seriously take the standard precautions and do our duty.

The name thunder box does not come from the ministry - they call them out boxes [like out houses - only a box] it's people like me that nicknamed them thunder boxes [think about that for a moment] for apparent reasons.

 

[JessiFox]

Oops...I better make that a bit clear. Gathering around the thunder box on the ground is recommended not in it. THANK YOU for bringing that little point up. Man...I gotta watch what I say.!

Glad you cleared that up...here I was thinking I'd take my chance with lightening over thunder in that context as well. Wording and context is everything .

 

[Northern Dancer]

Glad you cleared that up...here I was thinking I'd take my chance with lightening over thunder in that context as well. Wording and context is everything .

Yep! Thanks to the Commander.