Robert Ray

My first step into charcuterie is capicola.  The edge that appears to be drier was towards the fan, I'll rotate the meat occasionally next time to see if that has any bearing on the finished product. All in all very happy with my first attempt.

One thing I have done is julienned carrots or daikon radishes in a ferment. If you are sneaking in pickles. Spicy dill julienned carrots replace relish on hotdogs.
The ferment might go a bit faster. with the smaller cut.
My wife can't take spicy so I have to allow for that when adding peppercorns or chilies to the brine. Spicing up the brine is something that is a personal taste thing but garlic, caraway, chives find their way into some of my ferments.
Keeping the pickle under the brine with weights, an onion or citrus round, cabbage leaf helps if I don't have an airlock of some kind.
Cheesecloth and a jar was my first ferment vessel.

I have a couple of Harsh crocks and Chinese pickle jars that I use. My brine starts out at 5%. The silicone fermentation lids for wide mouth canning jars work well too. Into the brine and in a week the magic has happened.

At 12,000 ft there is probably not a lot of flora for filtering waste at Lonesome Lake. In your scenario of a pit on a hill side above a pond, that could be mitigated by the riparian area prior to shore line. In my area and possibly yours if your location was affected by the Mt Mazama eruption ash fall. Pumice is an excellent filter for fecal waste but very porous allowing other easily diluted pollutants like nitrates to travel easily.
These would be factors I would consider. Quantity/volume of waste? Plants for uptake? Porosity of soil? Depth to groundwater? Is the waste vessel sealed from water infiltration? Depth of the bottom of the waste vessel/hole. Is the pond your only concern? Are there other bodies of water/streams nearby? Concerned about drinking water? The legal hell that comes from improper handling of human waste if that worries you might be a consideration.
Humanure and fertilizing food crops is a western no-no. In Europe the commercial collection of urine and using that for fertilizer is becoming more common.
A perc test and groundwater depth would be a good place to start in finding an answer.

There are so many variables to consider when we look at this. Permeability, depth to groundwater, flora.
Use of a composting toilet and it wastes subsequent material require that it be buried under 12 inches of soil in OR. That's not raw sewage but material that has gone through a composting phase. https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/os-compostingtoilets.pdf
It is incredible the amount of pharmaceuticals and forever chemicals that are showing up in groundwater now days.

Indian Head Shellac was in use long before the PTFE sealants came on the scene.

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I grow feverfew for a family member who has migraines, but I have recently seen it listed as an alternative treatment for arthritis.

My daughter calls me a Renaissance Man instead of a Polymath.

Black or red licorice? Gustafson licorice caramel my favorite.