We will be (mostly) living in the woods for two months. We will carry what we need on our backs. In general, most folks understand this concept. For those who have not been on a long-distance backpacking trip before, the details may be fuzzy. Most books and movies don’t show the nitty gritty of daily life on the trail.

There is no plumbing in the woods! No faucet to turn on for water. No shower or sink (or ready hot water) for cleaning. No toilets to do our “business.” Roughing it may sound manageable for a day or two…but how does a lack of modern amenities work for longer times?

There are streams and springs along the Appalachian Trail. In some places, the water might be clean enough to safely drink. To lessen risk and avoid getting sick, we will filter all water before drinking it.

Long-distance hikers quickly become dirty, smelly folks. Hair goes unwashed. Sponge baths are taken with a wet-wipe or with biodegradable soap and cold water (at a long distance from the water source to avoid contaminating it). Socks and underwear get hand-washed most evenings—since we are carrying just one pair to wear and one pair to be drying for the next day. Otherwise, the same clothes are worn day after day. Each week when we are in town for food and fuel resupply, we will savor a hot shower with plenty of soap and shampoo to get body and hair squeaky clean. In addition, we will do a big load of laundry to get smelly, dirty clothes clean again before heading back into the woods for another week of hiking.

Do you REALLY want to know about pottying in the woods?! Some of the lean-to shelters we might stay at overnight have outhouses nearby. Otherwise, we walk off the trail into the woods to do our business. Poop gets buried 6” deep. All toilet paper used gets packed out and disposed of at the next town. The same applies to monthly feminine pads. (See,  I knew you didn’t really want to know…)

 

The nitty gritty details show that…long-distance hiking is not for beauty queens!

(Read about challenges on the AT HERE. Read about doing laundry HERE.)