Roman toilets
The rich would have their servants sit on a spot to warm the marble until they got there. The channel in front had water running along in it and when you finished your business, you grabbed a stick with a sponge on the end, dipped it in the water and wiped yourself. Of course those near the end had dirtier water to use than those at the beginning of the line.
Being the Curator of the Outhouses of America Tour website, I saw that Darn Tough, which is located in Vermont, sells hiking socks with a flying outhouse sewn into them. They offered to send me a pair and I took them up on it.
The socks arrived today and I immediately made a video to feature them on YouTube. You can click on the picture to see the video or click Here to see it.
I used Darn Tough socks when I hiked the Appalachian Trail and I use them every time I go hiking or backpacking. When you buy Darn Tough socks, there are two things that are superior about them:
- They are made in Vermont, USA
- They have a Lifetime Guarantee
Many a thru hiker has had their Darn Tough socks replaced for free while hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide (CDT) trail as well as all the other long distance trails. Once you purchase a pair and try them out, you will be truly satisfied.
My YouTube channel is called JLDRDOTCOM (@littlethislittlethat456) and I feature lots of Fun videos, Backpacking and Hiking videos, Guitar videos and more.
Happy Hiking!
Special Announcement!
Updated April 2023
2020: I decided to thru hike the entire Appalachian Trail (AT) beginning in March 2020 but I ran into a little issue called Covid 19.
2021: I ended up delaying my start for a year to March 2021 and then started the AT in Georgia. I made it up and down many mountains but then something in my head kept telling me to go home. I got a shuttle back to Atlanta and flew home.
To make a long story short (I’m working on a book but it might be a long time before you see that), on the way home my chest tightened up and less than two months later, I had a quadruple bypass.
I went through Cardiac Rehab and “graduated” 4 months later by improving my cardio by 139% from the start. I was determined to hike the trail again.
2022: In 2022, I was already in my very late 60’s and decided that doing a 5 month long thru hike was not possible any longer so I decided to do a section hike on the AT instead. I got myself to Harpers Ferry, WV and began hiking North. I hiked in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania but I went in late May and a heat wave started. I ended up cutting that hike short due to the extreme heat and lack of water on the AT and came home.
2023: I continue to improve from the bypass and exercise regularly. I’m planning on doing some more backpacking trips and you will find my VLOGs on my YouTube channel (information on that below).
I Hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) in 2021
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) gives out hang tags to hang on your backpack to thru hikers. This is my 2020 hang tag, front and back. On the back, they print a Leave No Trace (LNT) item and in 2020, it was Respect Wildlife. Why do I have a 2020 hang tag? Because I was going to thru hike the AT in 2020 but because of the Covid pandemic, I decided to delay to 2021.
The AT is over 2,193 miles long stretching through 14 states from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. It takes 5,000,000 steps and a thru hiker goes through 6 pairs of trail runner shoes but carries only 2 pairs of underwear, one pair of hiking pants, 2 pairs of socks, 1 t-shirt and 1 hiking shirt. I also carry one set of sleep clothes. Doing laundry when you can is paramount to the “smell” comfort of anyone around you because most hikers do NOT carry deodorant!
I VLOG my hikes on YouTube. Please subscribe to my channel and view my various gear and hiking videos. If you click the little bell on a video page and then select All Videos, you will be notified when I post new videos. My channel is JLDRDOTCOM and is located here: https://www.youtube.com/user/jldrdotcom
2021 Update:
2021 was “My Year” to hike the AT. I put my 2020 ATC reservation number on my 2020 tag AND added my 2021 ATC reservation number on my tag as well. Hike on!
Here is a link to my 2021 AT Hike Playlist on YouTube. You can follow the days I hiked on the AT there.
After getting on trail at Amicalola Falls State Park, I proceeded to hike several days. At some point, something told me to go home. It’s a good thing I did. Two months later, I had to have a quadruple bypass with open heart surgery. I went through three months of recovery and then four months of cardiac rehab. At the end of rehab, I had improved 134%!!! The average improvement is 40% so I think my heart was in great shape because of all the hiking and backpacking I had done in the last two years.
I also hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2022!
The AT drew me back. In 2022, I headed to Harpers Ferry, WV to begin a long Section Hike NOBO. My goal was to get to CT (that means completing the following states: WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT). You can follow my AT hike on my YouTube Channel JLDRDOTCOM. HERE is a direct link to my 2022 Appalachian Trail videos.
The Appalachian Trail is HARD!!! Most of the time, it seems like you are going up and a lot of the time, it is a steep up. I found that I enjoyed going down much more simply because I could get my breath. Yes, the knees would hurt but at least I could breath normally. The trail also tears up shoes. In the few days I hiked, the toe flap in the front of both shoes was coming unglued and other areas of the shoes were showing signs of wear. You are constantly getting your shoes caught on rocks and roots. So for anyone out there who is contemplating hiking the Appalachian Trail, be aware that it will probably be harder than anything you have ever done before right out of the gate. I hope you enjoy my Vlog of my AT hike.
Backpacking Gear
What kind of backpacking gear do you need to make a long distance hike? HERE is a link to my 2021 backpacking gear video that I took on my 2021 Appalachian Trail “Thru hike”. Here is a link to my Backpacking Gear with links to the actual equipment. In 2022, I’ve made a few minor gear changes but did not make a new gear video.
Monetary Contributions – Gear and thru hiking costs money and Vlogging takes a lot of time and effort. If you enjoy my videos, consider donating. Every dollar helps. I will keep track of all donations and plan to do something special for each person who donates after my hike is complete.
PayPal Donations: https://paypal.me/JLDRDOTCOM
Venmo Donations: www.venmo.com/JLDRDOTCOMGuess what? There are tons of Privy’s / Outhouses so you know I’ll be featuring lots of them in my VLogs.
Church Outhouse, Communication Tower Outhouse, Fish Dam Outhouses revisited in 2020 and compared to photos taken around 1997
I took a drive across the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan in 1997 and took lots of pictures of Outhouses. In September of 2020, I took the same drive across the UP and discovered that most of the Outhouses that I took pictures of in 1997 were no longer there. I did find three that were remaining where I stopped and took updated pictures. Here is the page showing them.
George Borum Outhouse Sketches
George Borum (1913-2012) from Centralia, Illinois, was a man of many talents. He was a sign painter, calligrapher, auctioneer, carver, and a tramp art artist to name a few. To Mickie H., he was a priviologist, an outhouse expert. Mickie and George got acquainted through outhouses. George wrote and illustrated “Our Vanishing Americana… The Little House Out Back”. Mickie was an outhouse collector, bought George’s book, and became penpals for years.
Mickie sent me many of the original sketches that George Borum sent to him. They are all pages out of his sketch book and signed. I think you will enjoy these pictures. You can read more about them and see all of them on the page dedicated to George Borum. They are under the Drawings and Sketches category in the tour.
Victor Hayes Outhouse Art
Comment from a visitor about the shirt his pictures are on…
I met Victor Hayes probably about the time he drew the outhouses that were on the t-shirt. I was a high school kid from Grand Rapids, MI. My parents were teachers and we lived in Elk Rapids during the summer.I don’t remember where he lived in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, but he rented a tiny white cabin, across from the Elk Rapids Golf Club, for the Summer. He would sit outside his tiny cabin and paint. He had his art displayed, for sale. I think he rented that same little cabin for multiple years.
He was known to be kind of a jerk. If a golfer hit a ball across the street, and near into the little cabin resort, Victor would grab it and wouldn’t give it back.
I somehow got hold of him and made an appointment to meet him. I was hoping to get some advice and encouragement. I wanted to be an artist (I ended up not a painter, but a graphic designer). I don’t remember what he told me (or didn’t tell me), but I remember going back to our cottage and telling my mom that he wasn’t encouraging and that he was kind of a grump. He wasn’t very nice.
A few years later I heard that he died in a car accident. He used to drive an old Chevy Impala. I think it was a ’64. It was copper color or medium brown metallic.
That’s my memory of Victor Hayes. I liked his art, he did a lot of fall-color landscapes in watercolor. He was a good artist, but not such a nice guy.
Regards, Brek R.
Many talented people visit The Outhouses of America Tour web site. Missy has an incredible talent for creating images. Above is an example of her work. Her twitter is @MLSterling11 if you need any work done.
Have you ever wondered what someone would do with an Outhouse Seat? How about a 3-Holer seat used as a bed headboard?
Sweden’s Ureddplassen Rest Stop Outhouse
My friends and relatives are always thinking of me. These POOP MINTS are a gift from a caring friend!
The featured outhouse shown on the home page was found by the Outhouses of America curator while in the Alaska bush in 2016. He was flown into the bush by a local pilot in an old Cessna 170 tail dragger that had huge bush tires.
This particular outhouse was build by a real bush person who lives by himself. He has a cabin, sauna and this outhouse. Saunas are commonly used to bathe and are heated with wood. We opened the door of the outhouse and inside was a hornets nest right above the seat. It might be best to remove the nest before sitting!
