Call it a loo, a latrine, an outhouse, vault toilet or privy, but when you're out hiking or paddling a national park's backcountry and you have to answer the call of nature, it's awful nice not to have to squat over a cathole.

Incidents with multiple injuries can present a test for emergency services even in cities, but such situations can be especially challenging in the rural or remote areas found in many parks. Teamwork and advance planning paid off when Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced three mass casualty incidents during a recent span of five days.

The nation's front yard, frayed, rutted, and overwhelmed by millions of feet and years of neglect, is going to be given a much-needed makeover if the Interior Department can figure out how to raise at least $650 million, and likely quite a bit more.