[at-l] Hygiene on the Trail

[Teresa French]

Hey Caterfly,

You've gotten some good responses so far.  I'll second some and add my cent (or so).

I cut my hair before my hike, but that's just me.  (I'm about ready to do it again--hike or cut hair or both!)  Other women with long hair did the braid thing.  I think that's your best bet.  If you don't like the braid, then at least pony tail it, maybe even in a couple of places to reduce tangles.

As for washing, hair or body, just do it in town.  You can get to town just about every day, if you REALLY want to.  Otherwise, going in every 3-4 days is pretty easy.  Don't worry about washing hair unless in town.  Some carry wipes that are dry, but have some soap in them.  Add a bit of water and you have a cleansing wipe.  Sorry I don't know any brands, but I THINK my Mary Kay-selling Aunt gave me some once...  Lessens the weight if you carry dry and add water.  Wash away from water sources.  Bandana works well too, w/out soap.  I carried some soap and never used it on trail, so I quit carrying it.  I just wiped off with wet bandana.

As others mentioned, you can rinse clothes at camp if you wish.  When I hiked, it was a rainy year, so I got "rinsed" as I sweated.  I'd either hang clothes to dry at night (especially when cold temps).  (They almost never dried.)  Or I'd wear them in my sleeping bag, or put them in the foot of my bag (synthetic bag).  I had a silk liner, so kept the bag cleaner by getting in liner first.  My clothes would be dry by morning.

I used alcohol gel to keep hands "clean."  I'd "wash" in water first, then use alcohol gel for a good cleaning (like before removing or putting in contacts).  After using privy or the woods, and before eating, I'd use alcohol gel.

You're going to get dirty.  You just need to realize that, then do what you can or need to to feel clean.  I never wore or carried deodorant.  Most didn't.  Some people smell worse than others.  In '03, everything stayed wet all the time so even if you were "clean" your pack probably was not.  That's what was stinkiest for me...my backpack.  Never got rid of that smell, although its much less noticable when dry.

Keep asking questions!  You'll get lots of opinions to learn from!
Happy hiking,
:-)
Wench

www.carepages.com/carepages/TeesTongue **photos added 9/19/08**updated 9/22**
www.trailjournals.com/wench

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: 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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