Scaling Mount Feces

Climbers tackling North America's tallest mountain face challenges aside from high altitudes and low temperatures. They also must dodge piles of human crap. "They think they're going out on a pristine climb, and there's virus-laden poo all around them," said Dr. Bradford Gessner, a mountaineer and author of a study published in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. The abundant human waste sickens many climbers: More than a quarter of the 132 adventurers interviewed on Mount McKinley for the study suffered from diarrhea, which can worsen mountain sickness and cause other problems. While the report offered sanitation suggestions, a mountaineering ranger said harsh conditions at McKinley's high camp exacerbate the problem. "It's just an ice pack up there," he said. "You really can't dig down and bury anything."
-- Lewis Wallace