Shower?

[RagingHampster]

Ok, here's a question I have.

In the future when I finally commit to an attempt on the AT, I would like to do the "In and Out" approach to towns. Not because of money, or trying to preserve the "Wilderness Experience", but simply that I enjoy being out in the fresh air, and don't sleep on a bed even at home. Of course the odd time may come up where I want to stay in town for whatever reason, but for the most part I would like to stick to shelters and camping.

The catch is I'll need to bathe once or twice a week. What have people done in the past?

[sloetoe]

Ok, here's a question I have.

In the future when I finally commit to an attempt on the AT, I would like to do the "In and Out" approach to towns. Not because of money, or trying to preserve the "Wilderness Experience", but simply that I enjoy being out in the fresh air, and don't sleep on a bed even at home. Of course the odd time may come up where I want to stay in town for whatever reason, but for the most part I would like to stick to shelters and camping.

The catch is I'll need to bathe once or twice a week. What have people done in the past?

1) Stay clean. (Don't build fires; don't walk around camp/leanto in hiking socks; always wear socks/shirt in sleeping bag; don't wear shirt when sweating; wipe off day's "trail dirt" with wet bandana, etc.) For that matter, stay out of leantos, which accumulate fine dust/dirt till the next dirt magnet (sweaty you) comes along.

2) Stretch your "bathe once or twice a week" out a bit. Like "once or twice a month" for example. Just a thought. (Heh heh heh.)

3) Most hostels (and some motels) offer "shower" prices at 1/2 or 1/4 of full night. Companion/Handbook offer more ideas.

4) Swim when possible, scrub off vigorously with fingernails working, then walk off with your available water, lather up, and rinse.

5) I once found shampoo in a leanto on a rainy day. Warm day. Guess what I did when I left the leanto?

Sweatoe

[Blue Jay]

Bring a collapsible bucket, the one I have is from LL Bean. Wash well away from water sources as soon as you stop hiking, so your body temperature does not fall too much. I have done this even in winter, you just go fast.

[chris]

South of Damascus, assuming you are clever and start in late April or early May, you'll be able to swim in a couple of lakes to clean off. There is a faint trail leading from the Fontana Hilton down to the lake (of course, there are free showers near the Hilton, but I like lakes). Then, a couple of days before Damascus, you'll hit Watuga Lake, which even has a beach and a rope swing.

For me, showers became a luxury item rather than a means of getting clean. When I would get to a town, I would crave a shower not because I would get clean, but because it was luxurious. Bring some gelled alcohol to clean your hands and just hike. Accumulated sweat and stench doesn't pose any health hazards, athough you may want to try to wash your feet off, or at least your socks, most days.

[RagingHampster]

My current hopes are to "B*tch Bath" in gas station bathrooms using a collapsible bucket/soap/washcloth in a bounce-box when I return to towns for resupplys.

I'm happy to here that many hostels offer shower services without you actually staying for the night! As far as towns/hostels go, I'd like to gorge on food, resupply (if in town), clean-up, and take off.

[sloetoe]

My current hopes are to "B*tch Bath"...

Mom (an RN from wayyyy back) refers to these in a kinder, gentler (and more descriptive) manner, as "Pits-n-tits".

OK, maybe just more descriptive.

Good ol' Mom.

[Alligator]

Use a platypus. Drill several holes in the cap to the platypus. A soda cap works also. If needed, boil water, about 2:1 cold to boiling works well. I made a carry bag out of a mesh orange bag to hold the platypus (can get slippery with soapy hands). I saw this bag idea somewhere else, roll the open end of the mesh bag down a few folds, then thread a string through. Add a toggle if you like or tie off.

This makes for a pretty decent shower with about 3 liters.

[DebW]

If you go into town to wash your clothes at a laundromat, you might find that the laundromat has a bathroom suitable for a nice sponge bath. At least that worked in Johnson, VT. And the Long Trail Tavern had a shower that hikers could use if they asked.

[bluebird]

Carry 'Wet One's (or some other antibacterial, unscented wipe) and a set of clothing to sleep in. Get in the habit of cleaning up as soon as you've hit your home for the night. Set up your tent first thing, then hop inside, cleanse using the wipes and change into your 'pajamas'. Carry light weight flip flops and use them to keep your sleeping socks clean while you walk around camp. Be careful to not wipe any food on your 'pajamas'. Use a silk liner in your sleeping bag to keep hair oil, sweat and other body grunge off. This'll make your nights (and anyone sleeping next to you in the shelter) much sweeter.

One other important thing that many a hiker misses is to wash your gear. The smell of your pack will permiate everything it touches after a month, ie. your tent and your sleeping bag. Town folks will smell you coming long before you're looking for a sink to clean up in. I'd pretty much empty out my pack each night and let it air dry. I gave it a shower and hit it with Febreeze when in town. This greatly reduces the salt deposits on the straps and makes it more comfortable to live in month after month (not to mention the smell!). The pack is heavier until it dries.

[Peaks]

Sloetoe has the right answer. I tied to minimize my town stays. So, I got showers where I could. For example, when I resupplied at Rainbow Springs, I also took a shower there. And according to Wingfoot, you can get a free shower at Dartmouth, so I did.

There are probably some hostels that you should do (like Kincora and Shaws), just because they are great places, so shower when there.

Other than that, I frequently swam in ponds and lakes, got wet in streams, etc.

And I didn't bring along wet wipes, a camelback, or collapsible pail either.

[Former Easy]

You can probably do with out a shower for two weeks or so. Thats the longest I have gone. But you will have to go into town way before that to resupply, so you can sponge bath (for free) in a service station or resturant while your in town re-supplying. How often do you think people showered or bathed out west in the 1800's? Just think about that and keep your teeth clean and you'll be alright.

Oh yeah carry some baking soda for crack rash if your going to go this route. Don't waste money on Gold Bond or other medicated powder cause thats all they are ....... a waste of money.

[Flash Hand]

I was wondering if thru hiker get naked when get in pond or lakes to wash themselves off, because I don't really want to get any clothes wet that will add some weight or cause other clothes to wet inside gear. If naked hiker get in pond, would it be offensive for other passerby hikers?

Flash Hand

[Peaks]

I was wondering if thru hiker get naked when get in pond or lakes to wash themselves off, because I don't really want to get any clothes wet that will add some weight or cause other clothes to wet inside gear. If naked hiker get in pond, would it be offensive for other passerby hikers?

Flash Hand

Nylon shorts dry quickly. And they don't really absorb water when wet. I wouldn't worry about it.

[David S.]

If you don't mind carrying about 4 extra ounces, I have had fantastic success using my platy bladder as a shower. You can get the little shower conversion hose made by platypus. I was very pleasantly surprised how well it worked. There is plenty of water in a 2 liter platy for a quick shower that covers all the important spots. To save even more weight, you could covert it so you could attatch only the shower head part to your existing drinking hose. Now, I am not a thru hiker so I don't know if this would work well on long hikes but it has worked very well for short 3-4 day hikes...I don't see why it wouldn't for long hikes. Flatfoot.