Hygiene important part of river travel

LITTLE ROCK — Personal hygiene is an important but overlooked aspect of overnight river travel.

To avoid illness and to maintain a feeling of freshness and positivity, it’s important to be clean and well-groomed. It’s easy, and the necessary supplies pack light and tight.

First, you’ll need a bar of soap. A small bar like the kind you get in motels is perfect. You can stuff it in a small, plastic sandwich bag. Wash your hands often, especially before handling food. If you use Carlisle paddles with the black plastic handles, they will coat your hands in black plastic residue in minutes. Soap removes it easily. Don’t wash directly in the river because that will introduce nasty bacteria and other potential pathogens into the water.

As a backup, take a small bottle of liquid hand sanitizer. It kills germs. It’s not a substitute for soap, but a finishing touch after you use soap.

Dental hygiene is easy to maintain on the river. A toothbrush and a tube of airline travel size toothpaste is perfect. A friend who is a dentist gave me a compact toothbrush that slides into a hard plastic case. It’s only about four inches long and is ideal for canoeing, kayaking or backpacking.

If you want to wash your hair, a small bottle of shampoo doesn’t take much space. Wash over a gravel bar to avoid polluting the water.

To answer nature’s call, I prefer to take a bag of sanitary wipes. They clean more thoroughly than dry paper, and they burn when you finish. For the solids, dig a hole and cover it when you finish.

Finally, it’s not necessary to take deodorant or anti-perspirant on the river. Keep some in your vehicle for the benefit of those in the restaurants and convenience stores you visit on the way home.