A woman hiking in Mount Rainier National Park saw something she didn’t understand—a hiker carrying a large barrel on her back up a steep trail. As it turns out, the truth behind this odd sight is something some of us could have lived without knowing.
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“Hiking Deadhorse Creek trail yesterday morning Saturday 08/30 and saw this person coming up Skyline,” wrote Courtney Henningsen in the Mt. Rainier Hiking Facebook group. “I didn’t get a chance to ask because they were too far from me but does anyone happen to know what the barrel is for?”
[RELATED: This Trail Toilet Has a Breathtaking View—Here’s the Weird Catch]
The comments section came to the rescue. Dozens of people chime in saying the barrel is for emptying out pit toilets in remote areas. The ranger is likely hiking an empty barrel up to the toilet and then possibly also emptying it (although this job may be reserved for someone else). Most people agree that a helicopter will then come to remove the barrels full of human waste.
“Give that person a raise!” commented one person after realizing what the barrel was for.
See Henningsen’s photo of the hiker carrying a mysterious large barrel here:
Have you ever seen this in a national park? It’s time to go thank a ranger!
Header stock image by frontpoint/Getty Images
