The last time I met with Fox he suggested I get in touch with a couple of female thru-hikers contacts he met on the trail. One of them is, Angela, A.K.A Moss, who completed the trail in September of 2010. “I like being outdoors, I wanted the challenge, I wanted adventure, I hated the rat race,” says Moss.
Moss hiked alone and proclaims that “it’s nice to be able to stop whenever you want and hike at any pace.” She stopped shaving her legs and wearing a bra. “Basically, I became half-feral. And it was great,” she exclaims.
She went on to say that many women do shave on the trail but If you don't want guys to see you as an attractive female, leave the razor at home. For the female hiking solo something as unsubtle as hairy legs can keep men at bay. When I interviewed Morning Glory, she said that she shaved her head halfway through the trail mostly because it was long and golden was hard to manage and drew a lot of attention from the guys (many months in the back woods with a ratio of 5 guys to 1 girl can make any girl on the trail a victim of "pink blazing").With a shaved head, people tended to leave her alone. So I guess the take-home message is the more hairless I make myself the fewer men will come knocking on my shelter door.
She went on to say that many women do shave on the trail but If you don't want guys to see you as an attractive female, leave the razor at home. For the female hiking solo something as unsubtle as hairy legs can keep men at bay. When I interviewed Morning Glory, she said that she shaved her head halfway through the trail mostly because it was long and golden was hard to manage and drew a lot of attention from the guys (many months in the back woods with a ratio of 5 guys to 1 girl can make any girl on the trail a victim of "pink blazing").With a shaved head, people tended to leave her alone. So I guess the take-home message is the more hairless I make myself the fewer men will come knocking on my shelter door.
“I reeked. Most hikers do. Even when you wash your clothes, once you put the smelly pack on and start sweating again, you stink almost instantly.” It's interesting to note here that I have interviewed 5 thru-hikers thus far, and all of them admitted to reeking on the trail but two, Leap and Bob. Before we become skeptical I'd also like to note that both Leap and Bob were hiking through snow. Therefore, I think it makes sense that you stink a lot less when you hike in the cold weather because you are sweating less, there are less microorganisms hanging in the air that can attach themselves to your body. However, I will be hiking during the hottest months so I'm sure I will be one stinky girl!
Moss informed me about the “pee rag” which is “a scrap of cloth (usually a section of bandanna) that you hang from the bottom of your pack with a safety pin and use to wipe after you pee.” She explained that “not everyone uses them but I swear by it" because it eliminates the need for TP, it's reusable, and easy to clean (just rinse in the stream, after all pee is sterile) and "drip drying sucks.” I will definitely bring one!
“I am a certified pro at pooping,” says Moss, “…not just in the woods, but anywhere. The key is to have no shame. The other key is to be willing to wipe your ass with almost anything. My favorite move is to lift up a big rock, go, and then drop the rock back down on the whole mess.”
Morning Glory said that the best way to readjust was to have the next adventure already planned, otherwise you feel lost. After their thru hikes, Leap was peddling cross country, Fox went back to Dunkin Doughnuts ice coffees and shaven females, while Moss keeps herself focused on her upcoming trip to Haiti to volunteer for a few months.
“You'll be surprised by how little you actually need, if you let yourself get comfortable with the idea of accepting slight discomfort in your life on a regular basis,” says Moss. I'm excited to live a life of necessity at least for a few months.
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