Published May 22, 2026 03:02AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The worst part of my bucket list snorkeling trip in Thailand was the bucket. \u201cAnd here\u2019s the bathroom,\u201d said our guide as he gave us a tour of the 20-passenger boat that would take us around the Phi Phi Islands. I hoped he was kidding. The red plastic bucket at his feet was smaller than a Big Gulp. Nobody laughed.<\/p>\n
My ex-boyfriend still teases me about all the fish I \u201cfed\u201d on that trip. While the others snorkeled in the shallow sea of turquoise, teeming with life, I doggiepaddled in the dark, open water. Polluting paradise isn\u2019t one of my proudest moments. But I have Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). When nature calls, I can\u2019t send her to voicemail.<\/p>\n
An estimated 1.7 million Americans live with Irritable Bowel Disease, either Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis. Another 35 million have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Their shared symptoms\u2014 diarrhea, urgent bowel movements, and abdominal pain\u2013have 77 percent of sufferers avoiding situations where bathroom access is limited.<\/p>\n
That said, you can panic about pooping without an official diagnosis. Outdoors, it\u2019s the great equalizer.<\/p>\n
Runner\u2019s trots plague everyone from casual joggers to marathon podium finishers. Gas station intervals haunt cyclists. Bubble guts are the reason some hikers never graduate to backpackers. The snowsuit scramble skiers have to perform to peel off their layers in time often gets the heart rate up higher than a triple black diamond can. And diaper rash is a sore subject among free climbers.<\/p>\n
What Leads to Stomach Problems in the Backcountry<\/h2>\n
Like many kids who grow up in Montana, being outdoorsy wasn\u2019t optional. I knew the answer to the \u201cWhat kind of bear scat is it?\u201d dad joke\u2014black bear poop has berries, grizzly bear poop has bells\u2014before I could recite my ABCs. And I learned to look for poison ivy before popping a squat by the age of three. But as I\u2019ve gotten older, my bowel movements in the backcountry\u2014or off the back of a boat in the Andaman Sea\u2014have gotten more complicated.<\/p>\n
Digestive issues tend to worsen as we age. Our gut motility slows down, pelvic floors weaken, and our microbiome changes. Keeping up with new food sensitivities can also feel like an unwinnable game of Whac-a-Mole.<\/p>\n
In my early thirties, I ended a decades-long love affair with my favorite snack bars when I was forced to choose between my tentmate and soy protein isolate. The latter gave me gas and had us both up all night. I also went through more than my allotted number of wag bags, another point of contention.<\/p>\n
Still, protein bars, energy gels, dehydrated meals, and last-minute gas station burritos aren\u2019t the only things that can wreak havoc on our guts when we go outside.<\/p>\n