Kathleen Meyer (born 7 December 1942) is a contemporary American outdoor writer[1] whose first work, How To Shit in the Woods, was published in 1989.
As one reads the book, it quickly becomes obvious that Meyer's concern is not only for the comfort of the camper or hiker, but for the impact that human waste leaves on pristine natural ecosystems.
The Soviet Union became more open to visitation by Westerners at about this time and Leningrad's municipal water supply was full of Giardia cysts.
"[4] In its various editions, the book has been reviewed by Audubon Magazine,[5] The New Zealand Dominion Post,[Lexis Nexis 1] and The Globe and Mail[Lexis Nexis 2] Audubon magazine writer Frank Graham wrote “Kathleen Meyer has contributed to environmental awareness while lending a grand old English word the respectability it hasn’t had since Chaucer’s day.”[6] In Barefoot-Hearted, published by Random House in 2001, Meyer writes about renovating a dilapidated barn in which to live with her life mate.
In the manner of nature writers who often use a small animal or plant as a symbol of an ecological principle, Meyer explains that she doesn't feel guilty about trapping and killing mice, because they are abundant and their population ever growing.
In the same book, Meyer also chronicles her and Patrick’s adventures driving a team and wagon across three Rocky Mountain states.