[at-l] Hygiene on the Trail

[Georgiamountainwoman]

I know it has been said that the way you can tell a thru-hiker by a day hiker is by how they smell.  Instead of hiking in winter, after all your input, I've decided to go the traditional route and start in spring.  So this means a lot of hiking in hot weather.  A lot of perspiration.  How does a woman keep clean and her hair washed ?  I've washed my hair in rivers before, but I know there is not a convenient river around on the trail every time your hair needs washing.  What do you do ?  My hair is mid way down my back and I can't bare the thoughts of cutting it off to hike the trail.  What do other women do to keep their hair clean during their journey ?

Also, you can't carry much of a wardrobe while hiking, so how does one keep their clothes clean ?  If you continue to wear dirty clothes, doesn't all the germs in your clothes reabsorb into your skin ?  If you carry a minimal amount of clothes, do you wash them in a stream ?  Will they even let you, even if you use biodegradable soap like Dr. Bronners ?  How long does it take them to dry ?  How many of you have hiked in wet clothes ?  This wouldn't bother me if the weather was quite warm.   But in cooler weather, wearing wet clean clothes to me would be a problem.

Toilet Paper.  Have any of you, while hiking on the trail, run out of TP ?  Does using leaves really do the trick ?  Also, how do you "wash" your hands, if not by a stream ?  What if you run out of wet wipes ?  Or choose not to carry them because of the added weight ?

I would appreciate any comments.

Also, who is planning a thru-hike this spring ?  If any, is this your first time ?

Caterfly
GA-ME 09
  






      
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