[at-l] Medical Risks of Wilderness Hiking

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"... LNT is fine but
> again is needs to be adjusted to real world conditions."

LNT in no way frowns on the use of soap and water. It says only that if you use
soap and water for cleaning yourself or your dishes, you shouldn't dump the
dirty water anywhere near a stream. LNT suggests 200 feet from a stream. Those
of us who know something about water pollution and seepage through soil know
that this is overkill in all but the most heavily used and/or fragile campsites,
but I recommend following the guidelines anyway to be extra safe.

I entered this debate mostly because OB was claiming that LNT was even more
restrictive than their often overly restrictive dictums.

I could care less whether hikers use soap and water or alcohol gel. I just think
the choice should be based on personal choice, not on the mistaken belief that
soap and water use violates the Leave no Trace views.

Properly used, neither choice does any harm to either the environment or LNT
guidelines.

Weary