Bathing is a privilege, not a right. No, that’s not it. Maybe it’s more that you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone or at least only available sporadically. Or perhaps it’s that working to get something makes it more rewarding. Whatever underlies my new perspective on showers, there’s something about hot water streaming down under good pressure that just makes life feel generally worth living. It’s the one thing that other people living off-grid here will mention as something that they miss having, convenient hot showers.
If you’re on an extended trip into the backcountry or in a treeplanting camp, everyone is in the same boat. But if you have periodically need to go into town and interact with regular folk, well, dirtiness is relative.
There are workarounds: shower bags, bathtubs, dips in the ocean, a friend in town. Some people, apparently, even volunteer for community services to get access to shower facilities. Saunas are a popular option out here as well and Peter has a beautiful stackwood version that is big enough to qualify as a second cabin. But for pure, on-demand gratification a real shower is still difficult to beat.