Scaling K-Poo

Who woulda thunk that one of the larger problems associated with scaling the world's highest peaks would be the frozen poo left behind by previous climbers? It's difficult enought to deal with the sub-zero temperatures, lack of food and water, vicious winds, etc. without having to worry about whether that brown "rock" next you you is igneous, sedimentary, or dookielicious. According to Reuters:

Mountaineers who ascend North America's loftiest peak are often brought down to earth by "virus-laden poo" left behind by previous climbers, a medical report says.

The unsanitary conditions created by piles of human feces on Mount McKinley can cause diarrhea among climbers, which can lead to widespread problems when combined with the physical stress of a mountain expedition, according to the report in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. . . .

'They think they're going out on a pristine climb and there's virus-laden poo all around them,' said Dr. Bradford Gessner, a mountaineer and one of the study's authors.

I've always wanted to scale one of the world's tallest peaks, but now I'm not so sure. At the very least, if I never climb one of these mountains I can shift the blame from my laziness to the excrement inundating the slopes. . . .