Tag: anon ask

Came for the star trek, stayed for a lot of things but the one that got me the most was your nature blogging (under your ‘la vie agricole’ tag. Especially found the wild pig stories fascinating)

omg anon I should ask my mother if there have been any pig updates lately

The latest dispatch from the little farm in coastal massachusetts: seals are returning to their local beach so my father is afraid of sharks, and it’s almost chicken slaughtering time.

I realise you may not like this, but – would you mind talking about T’Pring for a bit? I’ve always been sympathetic to her situation, and I’d be very interested to hear your take on her in more depth.

I don’t dislike it, don’t worry anon! I do love T’Pring, but I haven’t been feeling particularly trekkie in awhile so I’m not sure what I can say about her that I haven’t expressed already in either this post or this one. 

i really love hiking and want to get into camping/through-hiking, but i’m sort of particular about hygiene. what do you do for hygiene when camping?

Oh gosh, well, I’m… not…… particular about hygiene when camping, for the most part. But! I’ll share what I do regardless, and hope that it’ll help. (I can give more specific advice if you elaborate on what exactly you’re particular about, too!)  

  • I carry wet wipes rather than hand sanitizer for day hikes, which can be a bit of a pain (bulkier, and you have to pack out the trash), but which remove more physical dirt than does hand sanitizer, and don’t require using up your precious water like soap does. 
  • For car camping somewhere with running water bathing facilities, make sure you have unscented deodorant (if you really want to bring it. I don’t usually, unless it’s a 1-night casual car camp and I know I’m going to be going into town/around non-campers during the day) and unscented soap/shower products. 
  • For backpacking (or car camping in campgrounds without bathing facilities), bring biodegradable soap (most people use Dr. Bronner’s because you can use it to wash your skin, hair, dishes, pets, or clothing. You can even technically use it as toothpaste but…. yuck). I guess some people might conceivably use dry shampoo in this setting?? idk, I never have. I bring a hat and/or bandana, braid my hair, and just hide it after day 2 or so. 
  • If backpacking, taking all-day hikes, or car camping in a remote area without bathrooms, get a little trowel to help dig your cathole. Bring a small amount of toilet paper in a plastic baggie for a day hike, and for overnights take a roll, remove the cardboard center, flatten the roll, and put that in a quart bag for optimum packing. Make sure you completely bury the toilet paper every time you use it, even for #1, and dig your cathole well away from any bodies of water.
  • go swimming. no, seriously, just jump in a lake, even without soap, it’ll rinse the worst of the sweat off. 
  • if you are a person who menstruates, bring your product of choice and bring a plastic baggie to pack it all back out. DON’T bury tampons/pads in a cathole, seriously, they will not break down like toilet paper will. If you’re worried about the baggie of bloody tampons opening in your pack, double or triple bag it, or find some sort of sturdy little cloth bag to hide the whole shebang in. 
  • If you’re not backpacking so weight/bulk isn’t an issue in your packing process, bring a few more sets of shirts/socks/underwear than you think you’ll need, and change into fresh ones whenever you just want to feel a bit cleaner. (Socks especially! Regular sock changes are also a good way to avoid blisters!)