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Hey, Do I Smell Okay?

Picture of Dartmouth College First Year Trip Campers

It’s early August and that can only mean one thing. It’s time to get ready for DOC First-Year Trips! As you shop for camping gear and load up your duffel bags/frame packs, a few questions may be running through your mind:

What’s it like to sleep out in the wilderness?

How am I going to survive without air conditioning or Wi-Fi?

What will I smell like after not showering for 5 days?

We can all tough it out and sleep in the wilderness. After all, tents are surprisingly cozy! No air conditioning and no Wi-Fi? No problem! It will be a breezy 70 degrees outside and your fellow trippees will be so nice that you’ll forget about not having your phone.

But not showering, now that’s a valid concern. Unless you’re Bear Grylls, this could really concern you. I mean, who knows what we are going to smell like after 5 days without showering? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for that “all natural” scent. But some deodorant and mouthwash wouldn’t hurt either.

The question of not showering definitely crossed my mind while packing for First-Year Trips. I wanted to make a good impression and make friends during Trips. I didn’t want my BO to get in the way. Luckily for me and my fellow trippees, we never had to find out what we smelled like after not showering for 5 days - we got to cool off every day during our whitewater kayaking trip (more on that in a later post).

But for those of you who are assigned to trips that are a little further away from the water. Don’t worry, bug spray can be a surprisingly pleasant fragrance.

I’m only kidding. To be honest, not showering is not that big of a deal. You’re going to have so much fun meeting new friends during DOC First-Year Trips, you’ll forget about how you smell!

If you don’t 100% believe me yet, look out for my next post, I’ll be sharing more stories about First-Year trips!

Best wishes,

Jonathan A. Lu ‘19