Re: [Philmont]: Replacement for Desitin

In the worst cases of hiker's rash I've personally witnessed at Philmont
(6 - 8 times over 10 treks?), trekkers had blood on the insides of their
thighs. No joke, there. They were easy to spot by a very peculiar
bowlegged style of walking. In all such cases, questioning got them to
admit that they had been intentionally "going grunge" during their
entire trek. As I previously posted, STUPID.

As far as I am concerned, actual blood seeping rashes are a bear safety
emergency, and such individuals should be removed from the trail
immediately.

However, it is far more common that the trekker (as often an adult as a
Scout) is just really, really uncomfortable. Thank God they don't
shriek like 2 year olds. By this point, washing won't help, and if
anything probably makes it worse; you need medical assistance. Desitin
has been a fantastic product for this problem, and generally cures
everything up in less than 24 hours. On those treks where we had no
expectation of showers, we used it as a prophylatic measure, usually
applied at the finish of a latrine visit (note the Desitin-smeared
toilet paper or flushable wipes HAVE to go in a separate zip-lok bag for
packing out - don't toss them in the latrine!) This is a major part of
my "How to Poop in the Woods" discussion and demo (simulated, thank you)
during our shakedowns. It's pretty funny, if I do say so myself. The
biggest issue on this is getting teenaged boys to use a diaper rash
product on themselves; there is a natural (albeit somewhat irrational)
resistance to this. But once they use it, and see how effective it is,
they oft become its greatest proponents. And the younger Scouts learn
from the older Scouts, as always. I tell them that if the labelling
said "Dr. Bob's World Famous Hiker's Rash Cream", they wouldn't think
twice about it - so don't get hung up on labels. Just as diaper pins
are far superior to large safety pins for hanging wet clothes off your
pack, or a large cloth diaper (if you can find one) is a pretty
effective and really cheap pack towel, it's the utility, not the
original designed or intended purpose, that is important. After a
while, most Scouts "get it".

I've never used the "tucks", but the situations described in the first
paragraph above sounds like they could have used such. I have had at
least two people (in other Crews) credit me with saving their treks with
a generous donation of Desitin to the cause.

- Dr. Bob

Vannerson, William G. wrote:
> Many of you may be more familiar with Aveeno's bath product, which we
> used when our kids had the Chicken Pox. We'd let them soak in the tub
> with the Aveeno to alleviate the itching. I know that product is made
> from oats, which would lead me to believe it's a smellable. Unscented
> simply means there have been no scents or aromatic oils/chemicals added.
> In truth, almost everything has a scent or smell. The catch is
> determining which smells wet a bear's appetite! ;-)
>
> Hence, I would treat it as a smellable but would still consider it over
> Desitin just to avoid the unpleasantness of that product's smell. BTW,
> I've also had success on the trail with Tucks wipes, which come in
> sealed foil packets. Anyone else use these or have a comment on them
> with regards to Philmont? My thought is that they're a little bulky,
> but I might toss one or two in my kit for extreme emergencies where
> Desitin or Aveeno alone won't work.
>

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Received on Thu May 13 18:28:38 2004