[pct-l] Washing Clothes on the Trail

[Brian McLaughlin]

Edward,

A solar shower is not required to avoid being stinky. When I am
hiking I try to wash every day. Somehow or other I have
managed this feat for three decades without once resorting to
a solar shower. I do take a washcloth. It helps a lot. I
hike alone mostly, so there's no one to smell me most of the
time. This helps even more!

I can't match your hiking during the 50s or 60s. I only started
backpacking in 1970 -- although my parents took me day
hiking all through the 1960s. I can well recall carrying more than
60 pounds back then, when I was young, foolish and intrepid,
too. I carried 65 pounds, when I only weighed 130 lbs
soaking wet, when I went 3 weeks without resupply on the
PCT here in Oregon in 1972.  No solar shower in those
65 lbs., though.

By the way, if I were you, I wouldn't start talking about who
is being "soft", when you can't seem to do without the
"convenience of gravity-fed warm running water from a spigot
right at your campsite". Or do you really want to argue that
 it's all about imposing a hardship on yourself? (grins)

Happy hiking!


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Edward Anderson" <mendoridered at yahoo.com>
To: "Brian McLaughlin" <brianmclaugh at comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 7:15 PM


Hey Brian - you mean you would actually prefer being stinky and be willing 
to give up being able to take a hot shower on the trail and the convenience 
of gravity-fed warm running water from a spigot right at your campsite - 
rather than carry just 11 ounces ? ? ? Hikers are sure getting soft about 
carrying extra ounces these days. During the 50's and 60's, long before I 
discovered horses, I backpacked about 2500 Sierra miles, sometimes carrying 
as much as 60 pounds. In those earlier times Sierra hikers had to be 
stronger and braver to be able to fight off the Saber Toothed Tigers and 
Short-Faced Bears that roamed the wilderness. And I hadn't yet learned about 
bear charms. Reinhold and Switchback know about that, having survived thier 
epic adventures of the 60's. Then with the 70's there came a guy named Eric 
Ryback - who carried as much as 70 pounds and did'nt resupply very often.
MendoRider

--- On Sat, 4/17/10, Brian McLaughlin <brianmclaugh at comcast.net> wrote:

> From: Brian McLaughlin <brianmclaugh at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Washing Clothes on the Trail
> Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 6:41 PM
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> > I think you stinky hikers should consider carrying
> along an 11oz solar shower as I did. MendoRider
>
> Things like an 11 oz. solar shower just look different to a
> rider than to a backpacker. That's almost 3/4 lb!!