Hiker Hygiene...Or Not!

By this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. John 11:39 KJV

I'm not sure which smells worse: being dead four days or hiking a week without bathing. It's a fact that thru-hikers have a very distinctive look but the true sign of a long distance hiker is the overwhelming smell. Without the ability to wash your body or clothing on a daily basis there quickly forms what many call "thru-hiker stench." It permeates your body, clothing, and gear. My limited experience tells me that a good shower does wonders for the body, but after a few weeks, no matter how much you wash your clothes and clean your gear, the smell lingers and there is no way to get it out. I have shirts that smell like "hiking" no matter how many times Eva washes them. When they are freshly washed the hiker odor is not overpowering and there is something strangely familiar and comforting about it. But after wearing one of the shirts a full day on the trail, the smell returns with a vengeance and I wonder if it's time to burn or bury it.

I don't shave on the trail. I don't like having a beard, but it's too much trouble to shave and there is no point in looking good if you still stink! I never wash my hair while hiking unless you count swimming in a lake or pouring a liter of water over my head. Dental hygiene is a little easier on the trail, unless you lose your toothbrush, which I did...once. It doesn't take much water to brush your teeth on the trail, but I don't floss while hiking. It's too hard to keep my hands clean enough that I am willing to put them in my mouth.

I have a theory that there is a limit to how dirty and smelly I can get while hiking. I believe there is only so much dirt that can stick to my body and only so much bacteria that can feed on my sweat. It takes me a few days to get to this "saturation point," but once I am there and accept the fact that I am dirty and smell, I relax and quit worrying about it. The goal at that point becomes maintaining a level of hygiene that prevents rashes, chafing, infection, and food contamination. Even this is a challenge in the desert where water is limited and the heat promotes extra sweat. But I am not one to revel in my dirt and smell and always look forward to the next opportunity to shower and wash my clothes. When my children were little and I would return from backpacking for two weeks, they would say, "Look how tan daddy is." After I took a shower, they would say, "daddy isn't tan, he was just really dirty!" Keep calm and hike on!