Camping

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is My Father's World - Hymn
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/t/i/s/tismyfw.htm


Cleanliness is STILL important, even when you're camping. Don't think going without bathing is allowable simply because you aren't home - there are ways and means to bathe and it will not only make yourself and those around you more comfortable, but it will keep you healthier in the end. (And don't forget that mosquitos LOVE the odor of a smelly body...make it harder for them to find you by keeping clean!)

The one problem area for most people, especially girls and women, is the toilet fascilities while camping. Most campgrounds have toilets and showers. The more rustic you get, the less fancy the restroom equipment. For regular camping almost all campsites will have flushable toilets and coin-operated showers. Not necessarily the cleanest in the world, but in a pinch they will do.

However, if you go more rustic and get "closer to nature" there are fewer niceties and more realities. In campgrounds of this scale, you will probably have what is called an outhouse or a latrine. These are small structures built over deep pits in the ground. The pits are covered with flooring and what looks like a toilet. When you look inside the toilet, you can see down to the debris (human waste) below. These tend to be smelly and not a favorite area to be in while camping. Just remember you only need to do your business for short times and then you're off enjoying God's creation until the next need arises. These types of toilet fascilities usually have a maintenance person come through at intervals and pour acid or another agent to degrade the debris in the latrines or outhouses.

If you decide to get even more rustic, or you go hiking where there are no toilet fascilities at all, you will need to "dig your own hole". Take a small shovel or hand trowel from your garden area. Locate an area away from everyone else where you have privacy and no one will walk through after you're done - and always check for poison ivy or poison oak!!! Never choose a place near a trail or waterway as you don't want anyone walking through your "business" or having your "business" washed downstream. It also helps to go with a buddy and have them stand guard for you, and then you return the favor to make sure you're not disturbed.

Once you have found your ideal spot, dig a small hole 6-10 inches down. Squat and do your business. If you have trouble squatting, locate a place near a tree or large rock and you can lean on the tree for support. When you're done, fill in the hole and place a short stick pointing up over your hole to alert others that they shouldn't disturb that area. Even if you're a guy and can stand and do your business, you should dig a hole and cover it when you're done. It helps prevent the spread of disease and does not disturb the wildlife as much.

If you will be "digging your own hole" you should take bio-degradable toilet paper. You can place this in the hole when you are finished and cover it with dirt. If you don't have bio-degradable toilet paper, it is suggested that you carry your TP out with you to dispose of at a trash fascility by placing in a small ziplock baggie.

Finish the job by using hand sanitizer or using a small amount of water and bio-degradable soap to wash your hands with.

Although it might seem like alot of work and embarrassing - it hasn't been all that long since outhouses or even "digging your own hole" was common place. The human body is a very special biological machine and part of its duty is to eliminate waste. Simply because you're eliminating in an area or way you are not used to does not need to cause a problem - get it over with and move on to more fun things.

If you are really squeamish about this, there are portable toilets you can purchase and use in your tent. They will need to be emptied. Some have baggies that fill up and you can change, while others have a central "hold" area that needs to be emptied, washed, and rinsed after so many uses.

Here are some links you might find useful:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2352458_go-toilet-camping.html

http://www.easycaretoilet.com/ (A good portable camping toilet)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_dvrDSyXog (Need extra privacy - here you go! A pop-up tent for your toilet needs).


Bathing

Bathing while camping can be done. If you are in a campground with showers - enough said. Just make sure you take flip flops to wear in the shower and a large ziplock baggie to hold all your items in.

If there are no showers, things change. You can take "spit baths" inside your tent by using a small amount of warm water, soap and something to dry with. Wash from the face downwards until you reach your feet.

To wash your hair, you can do this by having a buddy help - although you can do it yourself as well. Think of it as washing your hair in a sink, only you will be using two buckets instead. One bucket holds the clean, warm water you will use to dampen your hair with and then rinse the shampoo out with. The other bucket you lean over and try and get the rinse water to go into. This helps prevent your camp from getting muddy, from water and mud splashing on your while you wash your hair, and also allows you to take the "grey water" and dispose of it as the campground requires.

Don't expect to bath or wash your hair every day. Until modern day plumbing many people washed infrequently because of the time and expense it took to wash and heat the water. You want to be hygenic, but you don't need to be picture-perfect every day.

There are many ways to get a nice shower if you're really interested in that. There are portable shower tents you can purchase and 5 gallon solar water bags that heat the water for you using sun energy. If this sounds like your thing, there are links below to show what they are like.

We often use the 5 gallon solar water bags to heat water throughout the day for washing dishes with - free heat and it's nice to have plenty of warm water when you need it. The bags are generally black so they absorb the warmth from the sun quickly.

For small children and infants you can use a small rubbermaid tub that you toted your camping gear in as a makshift bathtub. Using warm water from the fire or from the solar bag, this is an easy way to keep little ones busy and clean while the parents fix dinner. Just make sure you dispose of the water the way the campground wants you to.

Baby wipes work wonders for cleaning up and feeling refreshed and they don't take alot of time or effort to use. You also don't need to worry about disposing of grey water either.

The following links may be interesting for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3w766MQoTw (Pop-up shower tent)

http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/search/Google/solar%20shower?s_kwcid=TC|13029|solar%20shower||S|p|6683481245&cm_mmc=ps_google_CH-_-Category%20-%20Camp%5FGear-_-Camp_Gear_Solar_Shower_General-_-solar%20shower&gclid=CL6w6JSC4acCFQU6gwodqwbtuA (Multiple solar bags)