diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 8026f86c97..6e05c27eb6 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1011,41 +1011,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "num"
-version = "0.2.1"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b8536030f9fea7127f841b45bb6243b27255787fb4eb83958aa1ef9d2fdc0c36"
-dependencies = [
- "num-bigint",
- "num-complex",
- "num-integer",
- "num-iter",
- "num-rational",
- "num-traits",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "num-bigint"
-version = "0.2.6"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "090c7f9998ee0ff65aa5b723e4009f7b217707f1fb5ea551329cc4d6231fb304"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg",
- "num-integer",
- "num-traits",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "num-complex"
-version = "0.2.4"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b6b19411a9719e753aff12e5187b74d60d3dc449ec3f4dc21e3989c3f554bc95"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg",
- "num-traits",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "num-integer"
 version = "0.1.44"
@@ -1056,29 +1021,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "num-traits",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "num-iter"
-version = "0.1.42"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b2021c8337a54d21aca0d59a92577a029af9431cb59b909b03252b9c164fad59"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg",
- "num-integer",
- "num-traits",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "num-rational"
-version = "0.2.4"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "5c000134b5dbf44adc5cb772486d335293351644b801551abe8f75c84cfa4aef"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg",
- "num-bigint",
- "num-integer",
- "num-traits",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "num-traits"
 version = "0.2.14"
@@ -1173,9 +1115,9 @@ dependencies = [
  "fs_extra",
  "futures",
  "hex",
+ "humantime",
  "lazy_static",
  "log",
- "parse_duration",
  "postgres",
  "postgres-protocol",
  "postgres-types",
@@ -1228,17 +1170,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "parse_duration"
-version = "2.1.1"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "7037e5e93e0172a5a96874380bf73bc6ecef022e26fa25f2be26864d6b3ba95d"
-dependencies = [
- "lazy_static",
- "num",
- "regex",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "peeking_take_while"
 version = "0.1.2"
@@ -2246,10 +2177,10 @@ dependencies = [
  "daemonize",
  "fs2",
  "hex",
+ "humantime",
  "lazy_static",
  "log",
  "pageserver",
- "parse_duration",
  "postgres",
  "postgres-protocol",
  "postgres_ffi",
diff --git a/pageserver/Cargo.toml b/pageserver/Cargo.toml
index 968a62429c..529f55912a 100644
--- a/pageserver/Cargo.toml
+++ b/pageserver/Cargo.toml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ walkdir = "2"
 thiserror = "1.0"
 hex = "0.4.3"
 tar = "0.4.33"
-parse_duration = "2.1.1"
+humantime = "2.1.0"
 serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 fs_extra = "1.2.0"
diff --git a/pageserver/src/bin/pageserver.rs b/pageserver/src/bin/pageserver.rs
index 52a0f0a7d0..b229fe52e5 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/bin/pageserver.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/bin/pageserver.rs
@@ -74,9 +74,8 @@ impl CfgFileParams {
             Some(horizon_str) => horizon_str.parse()?,
             None => DEFAULT_GC_HORIZON,
         };
-
-        let gc_period: Duration = match self.gc_period.as_ref() {
-            Some(period_str) => parse_duration::parse(period_str)?,
+        let gc_period = match self.gc_period.as_ref() {
+            Some(period_str) => humantime::parse_duration(period_str)?,
             None => DEFAULT_GC_PERIOD,
         };
 
diff --git a/walkeeper/Cargo.toml b/walkeeper/Cargo.toml
index 878ce491aa..e5187c3f6b 100644
--- a/walkeeper/Cargo.toml
+++ b/walkeeper/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ postgres-protocol = { git = "https://github.com/zenithdb/rust-postgres.git", rev
 postgres = { git = "https://github.com/zenithdb/rust-postgres.git", rev="9eb0dbfbeb6a6c1b79099b9f7ae4a8c021877858" }
 anyhow = "1.0"
 crc32c = "0.6.0"
-parse_duration = "2.1.1"
+humantime = "2.1.0"
 walkdir = "2"
 serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
 hex = "0.4.3"
diff --git a/walkeeper/src/bin/wal_acceptor.rs b/walkeeper/src/bin/wal_acceptor.rs
index 1b39253415..9594de4308 100644
--- a/walkeeper/src/bin/wal_acceptor.rs
+++ b/walkeeper/src/bin/wal_acceptor.rs
@@ -5,12 +5,10 @@ use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use clap::{App, Arg};
 use daemonize::Daemonize;
 use log::*;
-use parse_duration::parse;
 use slog::Drain;
 use std::io;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::thread;
-use std::time::Duration;
 use std::{fs::File, fs::OpenOptions};
 
 use walkeeper::s3_offload;
@@ -102,11 +100,11 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
     }
 
     if let Some(ttl) = arg_matches.value_of("ttl") {
-        conf.ttl = Some::<Duration>(parse(ttl)?);
+        conf.ttl = Some(humantime::parse_duration(ttl)?);
     }
 
     if let Some(recall) = arg_matches.value_of("recall") {
-        conf.recall_period = Some::<Duration>(parse(recall)?);
+        conf.recall_period = Some(humantime::parse_duration(recall)?);
     }
 
     start_wal_acceptor(conf)