Hello Friends!
MEN: I was going to begin by explaining that today’s blog is just for the ladies, but I won’t. Why? Because half the human population is/will be. or has menstruated. If you are a male and you are reading this, feel free to pay attention. Pass the information on to women who might have questions, women who are new to interior camping, and the women you love who are nervous to camp because of this. (Besides, you will read some great advice on cravings!) Wanna step it up a notch guys? Pack a tampon in your first aid kit. Seriously. Don’t wuss out on me! You just might be able to help out a lady friend in a pinch, and you would be surprised how handy it is to have anything that absorbent when it comes to first aid emergencies.
LADIES (AND THE MEN WHO HAVE NOW GAINED MY RESPECT): Menstruation is the one thing everyone hopes to avoid while camping, if at all possible. Bring on the bears. Bring on the mountain lions. But NOT a period! They are messy and require extra cleaning, and extra supplies, all while functioning at your grumpiest. Hopefully, this blog can help you brainstorm a way to make your most natural time of the month a little more forgiving.
Let’s start with something I have determined is my biggest issue on the trail- cravings. (Just being real.) When you are three days deep into the interior with no sign of Dairy Queen or Circle K and your body screams “I want it now”, here’s what I recommend:
For those of you that go for thick, heavy, creamy, or chocolaty: a chocolate bar…or four. They pack way easy, who cares if they get smushed a bit? And you can turn them into hot chocolate if desired. (A little skim milk powder is a nice add-on for this.)
For crunchy, fresh, light: dried apples, berries, and drink mix, or tea. Dried apples still have the fresh apple taste and can be dried into a chip, helping them pack away super light, just like blueberries. Strawberries are a bit spongier but still hold their flavour well. The drink mixes are great for giving you that fresh feeling with a fruity taste. Drop the berries in your water bottle for an all-day flavour! Why not?
For greasy, salty, crunchy: trail mix. Hands down the best period food if you are on the trail and craving those bad-for-you snacks! It keeps forever, has a variety of flavours, and will easily satisfy your chips or Frenchfry-type cravings.
For just plain sweet, I would bring dried mangoes and apricots for sure, as well as some sugar for your tea.
For all you carb lovers who aren’t fans of trail mix I would recommend protein and granola bars to satisfy your cravings till you hit your first French fry truck out of the park.
Moving on to the not-so-fun part of it… We need to talk about the different methods of dealing with periods and which ones are best for day trips, versus overnights. Also, how do you dispose of them properly so there’s no risk to the environment and no risk of unwelcome guests at your site during the night?
The best options to use on the trail are pads or tampons. I recommend getting the organic waste-free options to minimize what you need to carry around in your garbage bag after, and to be more environmentally friendly. These are also the best ways of keeping things clean and fresh “down south” while out for day trips or overnights.
For cleaning up, I would go for a swim if you can, or if you have the privacy use some filtered water in a portable shower to wash up. On that note, make sure to never flush yourself, or duche, with lake or river water! You will get a UTI or yeast infection.
I know that some people use menstrual cups during their time and while that’s a great way to do it at home, you don’t have clean running water on the trail or at the site. Also, you cannot safely clean the cup without bringing in a separate pot, as well as extra fuel. Menstrual cups need to be cleaned with boiling water to be considered sanitary again. It will be a tremendous amount of hassle in a backcountry situation. -Not to mention that the hand washing procedures out there aren’t exactly top tier.
For disposing of the used products or wrappers that are not paper, I recommend bringing a large Ziplock bag inside your garbage bag and extra toilet paper to wrap things in. Just don’t forget to put your garbage bag inside your bear barrel or bag at night! Remember not to put anything into the box that can’t decompose (compost-friendly TP and organic waste only). You can check out my leave no trace blog for more information. (here) Everything else needs to be packed out.
If you choose cloth pads, again just make sure you come prepared with a separate, sealable bag for used pads that you can tuck inside your barrel at night.
Now to debunk a myth about camping with periods: Wolves and bears will not follow your trail because you are menstruating. They do not care.
This is something I have heard from a surprising amount of people; “What if you get your period? Won’t the animals come into your site or come after you?”
First, the animals are going to come to my site regardless because I am camping in their territory. I expect to see them. All we can do is take precautions to make sure they won’t be able to do any damage to themselves, our gear, or us if they do decide to visit. But they are not coming in specifically because I or someone else is menstruating. They probably smell my granola bars, jerky, and M&M’s and find them as irresistible as I do.
Secondly, having “Aunt Flow” comes for a surprise visit while trekking/hiking/canoeing is a bit of an “ah dammit” moment to realize the first time. But after the first day or two, you won’t think twice about it again because you’ll have a system in place that works for you. You will then have the confidence of knowing you can go anywhere, anytime!
Remember to stay very hydrated and keep your sugars at a healthy level when doing physical activity while menstruating. Your body is going through a lot of water, hormone fluxes, and energy, and you need to help it out as much as possible, especially while putting out that kind of energy.
Be gentle with yourself and allow yourself extra time for taking it easy on the trail. Don’t base your trip on a set pace because it will fluctuate with the phase of your cycle.
So be prepared, don’t believe the myths, and be kind to yourself. …Period.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy everyone! The next blog will be up in a few days, and we are going to go over a review of the trails located in Komoka, ON.
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