The eye test.... hygiene in the woods RE: [at-l] another out of the shadows

[sloetoe@yahoo.com (Sloetoe)]

--- W F Thorneloe <thornel@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Keep the BullFrog. As you keep it in a film canister, I gather
> you have the super concentrated version. It will not attract
dirt any worse than you will while hiking dusty and muddy paths.
You might be able to use your film canister to measure your
alcohol for the stove. Remember to bring DEET or your favorite
bug repellent.
### First, a small point: if you're using the film canister for
lotion, you can't use it for measuring stove fuel too.
### This is important:
1) If you're carrying it in a film container:
it will eventually leak out, smear-by-smear, and get all over
the container, your hands, you'll have to ziploc the film
canister, and it'll get all over the bag, too. That's if you're
lucky. What is more LIKELY is that at some point the top of the
film canister will be subjected to sufficient pressure to cause
a catostrophic popping off, to the result that OIL-BASED lotion
now all over the inside of your pack. (And even if it's in a
zippy, the lotion will instantly seek every fault in that bag,
and slide on through.)

2) While you're hiking:
you should put nothing on your body that you're not willing to
have end up in your eyes. Sweat, and a lot of other shit,
happens. And *when* it happens, the sweat flows unhandily
downhill whereever it wants. Or maybe what makes the flows
happen will be rain instead. (You remember... "No rain, no pain,
no Maine." Wellll, if you put ANYTHING on your body by way of a
lotion, be prepared for a build up of the lotion, dirt, sloughed
skin and hair, leaf bits, bug body-parts, campfire smoke, food
detritus, tooth paste, etc. Be prepared for that build-up in the
creases of your elbow (didn't know you *had* creases in your
elbow? You will!), in your hair, your boobs, your waistline,
your crotch, the top of your gaitors -- every poor clogged pore
of your body. Now *there's* a recipe for chaffing, and
INFECTION.

If you have no such OIL-BASED (ferchrisake) lotion on your body,
be prepared for all such detritus to wash off with the first
handy rainstorm (remember rain?). Or biting wind. If you
*really* want to be bold, take out your 1oz bottle of Dr.
Bronners (or Ivory, in defference to Weary) and comb some
through your hair before you start hiking for the day.

If you ARE getting ANYWHERE NEAR such lotions, be prepared for
the necessity of morning and evening and lunchtime ablutions,
whether you feel like it or not. Whether it's raining or not.
Whether the water source is farrrrrr down the hill or nearby.
Whether the blackflies will leave you alone or take you for
lunch. Whether you're out of [heavy] sanitizer or not....
Whether you've had a longgggg mileage day or not.

CUZ, if you DON'T wash the dirt-stuck lotion off, it will go
right into your eyes on the next sweaty, rainy day, and it will
NOT be conveniant. It will hurt. And if you're wearing contacts,
it will blind you until you can clean off your hands, your
forehead, your eyebrows, your eyelids, and your lenses. In the
heat or rain.... ... ... But that's just your eyes.
You also need now start the cleaning process on the rest of your
body, your clothes (which have been soaking up all this Midas
Touch crud, resmearing your body with every motion), your pack
straps, your sleeping bag, ALL breeding stink like you
*wouldn't* believe. STICKY stink. And now, guess what, you WILL
need a second bandanna cuz there's no way the lotion-infected
first one will get cleaned in the woods.

(Well, unless you'd rather be cleaning than walking. Some like
that sort of thing.)

Me? I'm there to walk. To travel. I travel well by hiking well.
I hike well by staying healthy. I stay healthy NOT by getting
clean (which, remember, takes time away from walking), but by
NOT getting dirty.

Lotions are dirt magnets. Dirt will slow your hike. Stay away
from it.

"Rainnnnnn, RRRainnnnnn, rain down on me!"     
me and dave matthews...
Sanitoe

=====
Spatior! Nitor! Nitor! Tempero!
   Pro Pondera Et Meliora.

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