Hiking influencers Renee Miller and Tim Beissinger offered a particularly intimate peek into their daily routine while walking across North America.
During an appearance on Matt and Abby Howard’s The Unplanned Podcast, the outdoorsy couple shared that they don’t actually use toilet paper when nature calls mid-hike. Instead, they favor a variety of replacements commonly found in a rustic setting, like “sticks or rocks,” Miller explained during the episode released on Nov. 20.
Miller and Beissinger have documented their hiking journey from Mexico to Canada on social media, where they share content under the username Thruhikers. They’ve twice completed the expansive walk known as the Continental Divide Trail, which saw the duo trekking an average of 20 miles per day, every day for about five months.
Thruhikers Renee Miller and Tim Beissinger with Matt and Abby Howard on ‘The Unplanned Podcast.’.
The Unplanned Podcast/YouTube
When Beissinger clarified that he “prefers” to use a stick to wipe, his host Matt erupted with questions, asking whether or not “wiping with a stick” hurts or makes someone bleed.
“It sounds gross,” Beissinger admitted, though he continued to explain why a stick is better than other possible tissue substitutes. “Leaves don’t work. They’re shiny and waxy, and it really stinks to use a leaf.”
His wife added, “And if they break, then it gets on your hand. Yeah, leaves are not a good idea.”
Thruhikers Renee Miller and Tim Beissinger.
Thruhikers/Instagram
He continued to tout the stick as a “surprisingly good” option, and Miller noted that they “follow up the stick or the rock with some water.” She says they have an attachment that makes water bottles “like a bidet, and it squirts out,” though they use their drinking water for that specific function.
“I personally think it’s easier to go in the woods than on a toilet,” Miller concluded.
