Mt Whitney WAG Bag

As well as standard practices for leaving no trace, you must take even more heroic measures; the amount of human waste on Mt. Whitney had raised a big stink…

Pack it Out Program: WAG Bags

So, what goes up must come down. Along with your permits, you are issued a WAG BAG — a system for packing out your “waste”. The bags can be obtained in Lone Pine at the Interagency Visitors Center and the Crabtree Ranger Station. The cost of the WAG bag is included in your $15 fee.

The WAG bag is a plastic bag with a urine-activated powder to encapsulate and deodorize solid waste. The waste is then contained in a zip-lock style bag to pack it down the mountain.

Keep your used WAG bag out of the sun, check the seal, and carry some extra plastic bags to double bag your , er, “stuff”.

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Using A “WAG” (Waste Alleviation and Gelling) Bag

1. Seek some privacy or at least some shelter from the wind.
2. Urinate or add a bit of liquid to activate the gel and keep the smell down.
   a.You don’t have to bring urine back down the trail
   b.Urinate at least 200 feet from trails, camps and water sources such as streams, lakes, etc.
3. Keeping the powder in place; put the open bag on the dirt. Squat and go! T.P., wipes, or leaves go in the bag, but no leftover food or other garbage that could draw critters.
4. Close the inner unit and secure in the outer bag.
5. Carry extra, heavy-duty bags (such as a trash compactor bag) and bag the whole thing at least twice.
6. You may dispose of the soiled WAG bag at the “Human waste” dumpsters at the Whitney trail head.