Mt. Whitney trekkers leave nothing behind

The New York Times had an interesting story about how the removal of all outhouses on the hiking trails on Mt. Whitney now means that all hikers must pack-out their - ahem - waste.

"The 19,000 or so hikers who pick up Forest Service permits each year to hike the Whitney Trail are given double-sealed sanitation kits and told how to use them - just as they are told how to keep their food from the bears along the way, and how to find shelter when lightning storms rake the ridges."

Read the full story: No more privies, so hikers add a carry-along