Bathing along the trail.

[mot13ley]

With money tight and a strict time schedule, I'm not sure how often I'll be taking zero days or staying at hotels. I'm curious as to whether it's common or not to see people bathing in the streams, and if the hotels along the trail offer showers only.

Thank guys.

[Leanthree]

don't use soap in the streams if you choose to jump in them, and if you jump in, go below where people take water from

[Skyline]

Some motels in trail towns will let you use a room that was vacated that morning, to take a shower. Ask nicely at the office. Many but not all will charge you a fee for a clean towel and use of facilities. Get there early before the maid cleans the room. Expect to deal with whatever condition the previous guest left the room in.

And for the sake of hikers who will come along after you, please don't trash the facilities, use the towel for cleaning your muddy boots or gear, etc.

[Johnny Thunder]

i carried an MSR water bag (any bag with a hose will do) and a small bottle of bronners.

would get wet at or near the creek then take the soap and the water into a nice private spot to wash up. did that every (tent) night from hotsprings to somewhere in maine when it got a little to cold (and that only slowed me down).

[Trailweaver]

If you take a tent, a nice bath can be had inside with a pot of water and a bandana. Even in cold weather, I just feel better to sleep clean, so I take care of business before I get into a sleeping bag. There are also cleaning wipes (large ones) that you can buy specifically for a bath without water.

[Mountain Mike]

Most hostels along the way offer a shower for non guests at a small fee. An easy way to stay clean on the trail is to cut the bottom of a gallon water jug & use it as a basin for a daily sponge bath.

[Trailbender]

don't use soap in the streams if you choose to jump in them, and if you jump in, go below where people take water from

I brought water to my tent, but for the sake of argument, according to stream flow regimes, anything you wash off will be past the point of water pick up in about 5 secs. Also, you can use biodegradable soaps.

[Lone Wolf]

Also, you can use biodegradable soaps.

not in springs or streams

[garlic08]

I bathe and rinse clothes in water sources I wouldn't drink out of--rivers and streams in agricultural areas for instance. I seldom use soap--just a good scrub and rinse. If you have to bathe out of a drinkable source, carry the water a couple hundred feet away. It can be done. I only took three zeros, and I timed most of my motel stays for one night only, with minimal time in town. I did the "shower-only" trick once, and it was actually offered to me at no cost by a friendly inn keeper after I offered to pay. With very little fuss, you can actually keep fairly clean on the AT. No need to be a walking cesspool like a few I met.

[Blissful]

Check that data book which often cites public campgrounds, hostels, etc offering shower only opportunities

[Tipi Walter]

With money tight and a strict time schedule, I'm not sure how often I'll be taking zero days or staying at hotels. I'm curious as to whether it's common or not to see people bathing in the streams, and if the hotels along the trail offer showers only.

Thank guys.

It's refreshing to hear of someone willing to forego zero days in towns or hotels. In the winter, of course, you can go a very long time without bathing---I went 76 days one winter when I was living at my tipi. Generally, on long backpacking trips, I can easily go 18 or 20 days in the winter when the temps are around 5F or 0F. You DO NOT WANT or FEEL LIKE getting any part of your body wet.

On my last long trip in March, where it was partially cold and partially warm, but the creek waters were frigid, I resorted to my usual "cooking pot hair wash" and face scrub, using bronners of course. On the other hand, a young buck I met on the trail jumped into Slickrock Creek at Wildcat Falls when the water was butt cold, and I applauded him though shuddered. Oh yeah, when I was a young buck I used to jump into all sorts of creeks summer winter and fall. Why not? It's easy to talk big but when push comes to shove it's not so easy to pull a sheep dip in ice cold waters. Increasing age makes it hard is my point. Why? Who knows.

Anyway, there's absolutely no need to resort to hostel or motel showers when you're on the trail---use creek water.

[Montana]

I brought water to my tent, but for the sake of argument, according to stream flow regimes, anything you wash off will be past the point of water pick up in about 5 secs. Also, you can use biodegradable soaps.

Soap, including biodegradable soap is "toxic" to aquatic life, keep it out of our waterways. Now by toxic, what I really mean is that soaps add essential nutrients such like phosphorus and carbon to an environment. These nutrients can add up over time and cause early eutrophication of our lakes and waterways.

One person taking one bath in a river with soap will probably have little effect due to the diffusive properties of water, but the problem quickly compounds in heavy use areas such as the Appalachian Trail.

I don't know about you, but I like seeing and fishing in pristine oligotrophic lakes and would like to keep them around for as long as possible.

[Lemni Skate]

Only bathe near the trail if you are a hot female, please.

[Tipi Walter]

Soap, including biodegradable soap is "toxic" to aquatic life, keep it out of our waterways. Now by toxic, what I really mean is that soaps add essential nutrients such like phosphorus and carbon to an environment. These nutrients can add up over time and cause early eutrophication of our lakes and waterways.

One person taking one bath in a river with soap will probably have little effect due to the diffusive properties of water, but the problem quickly compounds in heavy use areas such as the Appalachian Trail.

I don't know about you, but I like seeing and fishing in pristine oligotrophic lakes and would like to keep them around for as long as possible.

Bronner's soap is phosphorus free I think.

[d.o.c]

money was tight i went long periods without shower but the opertunity will give its self to ya when u realy need it ull meet someone in town that will offer it to you or a hostel that will let you shower but be ready for long spots without one.

[Montana]

Bronner's soap is phosphorus free I think.

Soap is mainly made up of triglycerides (fatty acids attached to a glycerin backbone), including Dr. Bronners. Fats are high energy molecules that bacteria love. Any extra energy input into an aquatic system is going to lead to early eutrophication.

It is good that Dr. Bronners doesn't have phosphorus, as that is usually a limiting nutrient in most systems. That doesn't mean that hundreds of people bathing with the ALL-ONE in the same swimming hole every year will have no effect.

[Storm]

I carry a light collapsible bucket, get a gallon of water from a stream and hang the bucket on a tree limb well away from the water source. Add a cap of soap and take a nice sponge bath. In warm weather I also rinse out my clothes in the same water after the bath. Be careful doing this. Even though I get some distance from the trail I've been caught bare bottomed a couple times. Not a pretty sight.

[blitz1]

Soap is mainly made up of triglycerides (fatty acids attached to a glycerin backbone), including Dr. Bronners. Fats are high energy molecules that bacteria love. Any extra energy input into an aquatic system is going to lead to early eutrophication.

It is good that Dr. Bronners doesn't have phosphorus, as that is usually a limiting nutrient in most systems. That doesn't mean that hundreds of people bathing with the ALL-ONE in the same swimming hole every year will have no effect.

I agree - too many people use these streams along the AT to add ANY soap, even biodegradable, without having adverse impacts. Easy enough to use your soap away from the stream - let the soil bacteria enjoy it away from the stream..

[Papa D]

Here is what I do - I think it is pretty LNT:
1) Fill my empty clean food bag with water and place it about 100' from the creek
(downstream from where folks would want to collect water) and leave a little bottle of Dr. Bronners soap there too.

2) Jump in creek - and then walk wet to bag and soap

3) wash up with soap and rinse with bag of water letting gray water go into dirt

4) collect another bag of water if there is any residual soap on me and repeat the rinse

5) Finally, I go swimming in the creek - a trace amount of Dr. Bronners probably gets in the creek at this point, but I do my best.

This usually feels great, but eventually - 12-15 days in the summer or maybe 16-19 days in the winter, I do try to get a hot shower - often, you can get a shower at a campground or a hostel for a few bucks without buying an entire hotel room.

[ShelterLeopard]

don't use soap in the streams if you choose to jump in them, and if you jump in, go below where people take water from

If I felt it was necessary to use soap in my hair, I'd wash with just water and my bandana first, then get out of the water and use about a dime sized drop of campsuds in my already wet hair, scrub it in, and use my water bottle and cooking pot to rinse out my hair away from the water. Annoying, so I only did it once or twice.

Usually I found that I really didn't need any soap. It works really well to scrub your skin with just a smooth rock and then your bandana.