To Dip or Not to Dip; That is the Question

[maverick]

I do not use deet, and only parts of my face and the back of my hands get a layer of
sunscreen but still wash off before going into a lake, if dip at all.
Have seen two guys take bars of soap, wash off in a lake, including there horses, now
that was ridiculous!

[Electra]

I always do a pre-rinse before getting in any water source and as a guide always educated clients to do so as well. It is certainly a part of Leave No Trace philosophy.

[Wandering Daisy]

I dip, every day. But, I use very little sunscreen (only my face) and by the time I am ready to dip it is probably all gone. I rarely use insect repellant. I rather just cover up with long sleeves and head net. In the water quality business, there is a saying "dilution is the solution to pollution". I do not dip in tiny ponds where I may have undue impact. A nice big stream with a good current is great - find a nice pool where you will not get washed downstream! I am over the age where I have accidents in water! Pee before you go in! Life in the mountains would be terrible if I could not regularly dip. The colder the better. Places I do not dip - heavily used areas (Evolution Lake- actually dipped there once only to have a dead rat float up upon me UGH!!!).

[oldranger]

Daisy,

Places I do not dip - heavily used areas (Evolution Lake- actually dipped there once only to have a dead rat float up upon me UGH!!!).

Probably better than drinking out of a creek then finding a dead horse in the creek a couple of hundred yards upstream! Luckily it was a short trip and we didn't get sick until we got home.

Mike

[SSSdave]

Everyone I backpack with jumps in lakes and rivers almost every day even when chilly because we dislike being grubby and sweaty plus how it draws mosquitoes. Most places we visit are remote with few or modest number of visitors each summer so in most waters we do not bother removing repellent or sunscreen because the volume of water is vastly greater than the pollutants of everyone that might visit such places each summer. Oh I have washed off up on the shore before jumping in some of the Little Lakes Valley bodies of water, however many of those lakes are small like some of the Gem Lakes with tiny seasonal streams coming in and numbers of visitors about all summer. But I doubt there would be an impact to most lakes in the Sierra especially those with rigorous stream inflows. Would I jump into Long Lake up in the South Fork of Bishop Creek drainage without bothering to remove repellent? Yep. Certainly a lot of visitors each summer but again the volume of water even in that modest sized lake is vastly more than what visitors might add.

[bheiser1]

Well this is all interesting feedback, and I can see I'm not alone in my concerns. But I guess I've been a little excessive in my "solution" (e.g. to skip the dips all together). It seems like a good happy medium is to wash/wipe off what I can with a wet cloth first, away from the water source.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to many a refreshing dip in trailside creeks & lakes this summer .

[Cross Country]

The answer is in terms of quantity. The amount of what could be on on person in comparison to the amount of water in even a small lake is less than miniscule in my opinion. I don't believe there is any chance that it could matter at all. I would like to hear from a physical scientist on this because I certainly am not an expert in this matter. I took a dip in the water 550+ days in 600+ days of backpacking. I really like going to bed relatively clean.

[Wandering Daisy]

A dip is NOT a bath. Some idiots still are using soap directly in streams and lakes. NO,NO NO!!!
Be careful washing clothing- lots of washing machines do not get all the soap out. I like to double rinse my clothes before I take them out. I have heard that permethian treated clothing (treated yourself, instead of treated by the manufacturer) can bleed some toxics into water that some aquatic species are sensitve to. Not necessarily fish, but stuff fish eat. Again, it is all about dilution. Most lakes and streams quickly dilute all this, but be careful at end of season in those little trickles and puddles.

Many Sierra lakes have soap tasting water. Ugh!! Do not wash dishes directly in streams and lakes. Yes, critters may eat the food, but I really do not like coming after you and looking at your garbage.

[Cross Country]

I'm glad WD mentioned this. I hated seeing soap suds in the water. What inconsiderate clods. I never took soap in the water with me nor washed anything in the water. I always took a sponge bath first and after rinsing off the soap, jumped in. It wasn't perfect but I believe nearly so.

[Scouter9]

I really like to dip/wade at the very least and to have the Scouts with us do the same, but have a strong personal/Troop policy that we carry water up and away from the lake(s) to wash ourselves of Bug Repellant and Sunscreen onto the dirt, before going into lakes. No prep for stream crossings. Of course, the *mandatory* sock/under washing is also done up and away, rather than in the lake. After that, I say "dip away" and do it before things cool off, eh? Great to get the grit and sweat out of one's hair (or even multiple hairs for you lucky types) and to ensure some clean feet.

Yes, it's an exercise in dedication sometimes and it can be frustrating to see other backpackers standing in the lake, washing their clothes or #$%@!! dishes. However, we have found that leaving a piece of jerky behind those guys' tents usually begets entertaining karma later.