Toilet Talk with Maggie & Chuck Odette

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CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF?

Hi, I'm Maggie. My husband Chuck and I retired 9 years ago, sold our house, and moved into a 13' Scamp (which we've since evolved out of) to facilitate rock climbing full time. We both worked in the outdoor industry for years, and I combined that with a career as a yoga teacher. We're known for being kind of old and still trying to climb hard routes, haha. We're currently the Campground Hosts in Maple Canyon, an area in central Utah that attracts climbers from around the world.

CUDDY'S HOME

During Covid, we realized how nice it would be to have a bathroom in our trailer (our Scamp was without), and "upsized" to a 16'9" K-Z Sportsmen Classic, which I refer to as "The Mansion". It's not exactly a beacon of high design, but it's a lot more low-key than the Scamp, which has its advantages when you're camped out in the desert trying not to attract attention. We've made it ours with a few simple modifications. We turned the dinette into a full time bed with a real mattress, replaced the bench cushion foam with better stuff, made slipcovers and re-covered the valances, built shelves in a tall cabinet, and-of course- took out the flush toilet and put Cuddy in its place!

WHAT IS YOUR MORNING ROUTINE?

Coffee or Tea?
Coffee! In bed, while we read and relax for an hour or so before mobilizing for the day. We're whole bean, pour-over people, so we grind our own with power from our Goal Zero Yeti 500. On climbing days, we're out by 8 or 9am. On rest days, we try to get in a yoga practice before tackling whatever else we've got on our agenda.

WHAT'S IN YOUR TRAVEL BAG?

We don't have any...we have our whole lives with us wherever we go!

WHAT IS YOUR ROAD TRIP PLAYLIST?

Moby, Bob Mould, Madonna, Jack White, and Johnny Cash

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A COMPOSTING TOILET?

Two reasons: 1. Black water tanks are disgusting, and 2. Water usage is high on our radar. We've spent a lot of time in the desert southwest of the US, where water is scarce and drinking water can even be hard to find.

We strongly feel that everyone in the world should have free access to clean, safe water. When we bought the Sportsmen, we agreed that we wouldn't use the toilet until we replaced it with a waterless option.

WHAT DOES JUST GO MEAN TO YOU?

To us, it means having the comfort and convenience of not having to wander off into the desert or forest to dig a hole every time the urge strikes, as well as being able to avoid nasty pit toilets in some of the primitive campgrounds we stay in. Of course, the campground we host in has the cleanest toilets in the country (wink, wink)!

WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?

Our passion for climbing is our motivation. We may be older than most of our climbing peers, but we're still working to push our limits to see what we can achieve. 4 years ago, at 64, Chuck set a world record by being the oldest person to climb a route that's at an elite level on the climbing grade scale.

I'm 54 and am gearing up to attempt my hardest route ever this summer. The style of climbing we do is extremely athletic and gymnastic, which sort of surprises some people.