The Stench Factor Q/Poll

[Neil]

What's that song?
"eww-eww that smell, the smell that's all around you".

Last August my son and I spent 2 weeks in the CDN Rockies doing lots of scrambling. We slept in a tent in a car camground the whole time and had intentions of taking sponge baths. Well it was friggin' cold those weeks and we never bathed once. My synth shirts took on a stench like you wouldn't believe but other than that we didn't suffer at all. And for some reason our hair remained quite clean. We had poor success picking up babes tho'.

 

[DougPaul]

I read somewhere that you reach steady state after about 3 weeks. So if you can hold on that long...

Doug

 

[adkpooh]

For the safety of all hikers..

Because I am plagued by the guilt of causing harm to the innocent hiker who merely passes me on the trail...our hiking trips usually involve some form of available water. Although, I am beginning to think my boyfriend proudly considers his some kind of personal safety beacon- he won't touch the water unless it is 90 degrees out and the water is at least 80.....or there is a cliff he can jump off of and into it (I don't suggest this is a good idea).

 

[Mad Townie]

So does anyone use that waterless, alcohol-based hand cleaner gel? I haven't yet, but the idea of cooking and eating with clean hands has a certain appeal.

I'll swim, or at least rinse off, when I have the time, opportunity and inclination. Depends on how many days I'm out there.

 

[twigeater]

Mad Townie, I carry a small bottle of that in my toilet kit. It kills germs, but doesn't really wash off the dirt.

 

[DougPaul]

So does anyone use that waterless, alcohol-based hand cleaner gel?

I carry some with my TP for use after visiting the woods. A disinfectant, not a cleaner. Supposed to be quite effective--used in doctor's offices as a substitute for soap and water.

There is evidence to suggest that one is more likely to get Giardia or Crypto from one's hiking companions than from the water...

Doug

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I use the alcohol based gels all the time in the hospital, after a call and on the ambulance. I also use them at home. Like Twigeater says. It is made to disinfect hands from germs on hands that are visibly clean. If you can see dirt then you are supposed to use soap and water first.

Keith

 

[jfb]

I carry a cotton washcloth and wash after hiking to a campsite (or back to the car) and setting up my tent. The technique I use is to fill a water bottle and pour a little at a time on the washcloth, then start with my face and work towards the nastier parts. On cold days, I'll heat the water first. After boiling water, I'll rinse the washcloth and hope the heat kills whatever bugs are growing on it. Carrying a set of clean "camp" clothes also helps and keeps my sleeping bag cleaner. But by far, the most effective way I've found to manage the stench factor is by wearing Merino wool base layers.

 

[Puck]

Here is an odd observation....When I was in Mineral King in the Sierras at about 11k I did not notice anything. High altitude, thin air? I dunno. But on the way down (car parked at 6k) the stench was here to stay....

 

[Neil]

I use the alcohol based gels all the time in the hospital, after a call and on the ambulance. I also use them at home. Like Twigeater says. It is made to disinfect hands from germs on hands that are visibly clean. If you can see dirt then you are supposed to use soap and water first.

Keith

Yeah, the hands and the fecal-oral route of infection. How many Giardia cysts do you think will fit nice and comy under a single finger nail?

 

[SAR-EMT40]

How many Giardia cysts do you think will fit nice and comy under a single finger nail?

Wait, I know this one. It the same as the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin, isn't it?

 

[DougPaul]

Yeah, the hands and the fecal-oral route of infection. How many Giardia cysts do you think will fit nice and comy under a single finger nail?

More than enough.

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

I'll rinse my face and sometimes hair with warm water, but that's about it for "bathing."

However, because I wear contact lenses when I hike, I will bring a tiny supply of camp suds and actually wash my hands in the morning. Baby wipes don't work for this because they leave chemicals on the fingers that are really hard to rinse off before working with the contact lenses.

 

[Orphic Seth]

I like being smelly when I'm in the woods. (See my post on me liking my smelly poly-pro) It means I'm outdoors, in the woods, working, having a grand ol' time. Its part of my experience. I get to leave our neat-freak-must-smell-neutral-or-die-trying-don't-offend-anyone society back behind at work or whatnot, and forget about it.

To smell is human.

If I get a wash in the woods its because I went swimming for the fun of it, and I went swimming naked. Are there some that oppose smell also oppose seeing a nude dude enjoying a soak? That would be an interesting survey.

 

[Neil]

Wait, I know this one. It the same as the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin, isn't it?

Then I guess one million angels can dance on the head of a pin. That's a lot of angels.
Next question, how many cysts does one have to ingest in order to get sick? (Yes, the research has been done, with human volunteers no less.)

 

[DougPaul]

Next question, how many cysts does one have to ingest in order to get sick? (Yes, the research has been done, with human volunteers no less.)

You don't say which kind of cyst.

For Giardia:
"How many cysts does it take to get the disease? Volunteer studies show that one or two are not sufficient. At least 10 or so are required in order to have a reasonable probability of contracting giardiasis, with about one-third of persons ingesting 10--25 cysts getting detectable cysts in their stool".
http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/pcs/articles/giardia.asp

Don't know for crypto.

Yes, other people read the reports too...

BTW, the above report is worth reading, even if you don't care how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Doug

 

[moose_mckenzie]

Since I have no sense of smell, then What! Me Worry?

Moose