Even More Natural than Dr. Bronner’s

There are a couple of important rules to backpacking:

1. It’s important to impact your surroundings at a minimal level when out in the backcountry to preserve the beauty for the next visitor and to keep the ecosystems balanced. This means embracing the leave no trace concept.
2. Bringing as little as possible to keep your pack light and, therefore, your trip more enjoyable.

Because of those rules, I’ve learned to leave certain items at home like deodorant, shampoo, and soap. Oddly enough, I never get too stinky – there’s something about being in the great outdoors, away from polluted cities. Oh, and then there are the lakes and rivers for splashing around in. All this being said, there still are times when you just need to get clean and water alone won’t do it.

When I was recently in Glacier National Park, I spent a few days in the backcountry, which also happens to be grizzly bear country. Grizzlies are known to have a keen sense of smell, being able to detect odors up to a mile away. This meant that I had to be particularly careful with anything that might remotely smell of food. I even had to change out of the clothes that I cooked in before going to sleep. So when I ate cheese that had gotten oily from the heat or fish that I had to pick the bones out of, I needed to find a way to remove the smells. Fortunately, Mother Nature has a remedy that’s even more natural than Dr. Bronner’s.

Ironically, the answer is dirt. I’m not a scientist, but my understanding is that oil is more attracted to dirt than to your hands. So rub your hands in some dirt, then wash it off in water and most smells are gone. For the heavy duty washing jobs, you may have to repeat this a few times. Finish the process by rubbing your hands on needles of a nearby pine branch and you are good to go.

Needless to say, I never encountered a grizzly while out there – though I did have a run in with a moose, but that’s another story.