[at-l] Trail Hygiene (was Purell vs. Poisen Ivy)

[chaynes@megalink.net (Clifford R. Haynes)]

Snip
>
> I wonder how this is impacting people's willingness to pick up hikers.
And, how
> businesses feel about it - I imagine a grocery store or restaurant
wouldn't be too keen
> on hikers if the majority started smelling like the one I picked up.
>
> Thoughts please
>
> Squirrelgirl
>
I live fairly close to the AT, and often give backpackers a ride, but if
they stink to high heaven, they can walk. I suppose by city standards, even
a person that makes an effort to stay reasonably clean on the trail, Seems
that is recent years, there are more people that really stink really bad. I
can only assume the reason they smell so badly is because they only clean up
when they are in town. Heck I have known people that work in the woods all
day with a chain saw and use horses or oxen to twitch, that don't smell as
badly as some of the hikers I meet today.
Last fall I stopped to pick up a guy that smelled so bad he would have
gagged the guy that pumps my septic tank. LOL he opened the door, and the
smell actually gagged ( and I don't gag easily) me, I wouldn't even let him
ride in the open pick up bed he was so bad.