Some of you may be curious about hygiene practices at the field station, based on some of the things I've mentioned. So let's walk through it. Remember, it's all about saving water up here, as they have to pay to haul all of the "grey" water (from the sinks and showers) out to be cleaned.
The dining hall: A nice big sign upon entering asks you to wash your hands before eating. There is a large sink just at the entrance, and it is operated by pushing with your knee, so you don't have to use your dirty hands on a faucet. Nice.
The towers: AKA the outhouses. These are water free, and I've mostly been using the heated one. It is warm and surprisingly odor free. I have also used some of the other towers, but prefer the warmth and privacy of the heated one. The heated tower is also right next to one of the residences, and there is a sink in the bathroom inside, so it's easy to wash hands. The other towers have hand sanitizer.
Clothes: I spent the first two weeks wearing the same outfit, except for underwear. After my first real shower, I changed to a new outfit and will wear that until I leave camp. You can wash your clothes every two weeks here, but I have enough clothes to get me through, so I will just save water and bring home the dirty clothes. Plus, most of my clothes are merino wool, and that does not stink. It's amazing.
Body: I am allowed two 2-minute showers each week, which means I should be leading up to my fifth shower by at this point. In reality, I have only showered once. I used the sauna five times now, and it has pitchers of water that you can use to bathe with, and this is what I have done. The water there gets super hot though, so I have to mix it with cooler water from a large jug to be able to use it. I have hardly sweat since I've been here, and the regular bathroom is on the cool side, which is really noticeable when you pause the flow of water to wash so you don't waste your two minutes. Regular bathing here hasn't been a necessity.
Hair, skin and nails: I usually wash my hair once a week, and but this time I went two. My skin has also been really dry here, and I am trying to keep my face well hydrated, despite being exposed to the wind and sun excessively. My nails seem to have suffered the worst. They were never long, but everyday a new one would crack or chip, so I cut them all very short now. I think it is due to the dryness.
Feet: My feet have been pretty happy in my boots. I was wearing the heavy bunny boots in the field initially, but the left one started to rub and has left a bit of a hole in my leg, so I have changed to the insulated Xtratufs, rubber boots. These have worked well. I wear my hiking boots around camp, changing wool socks in between shoe changes to let my feet dry out as needed.
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