There are multiple levels of cleanliness. I have experienced many of them, but long distance trail-hiking is by far the dustiest.

Some honey spilled from your tortilla/PB concoction?
Lick it off your dirt-stained hands.

Feet and toes black with dirt?
…are they ever NOT that color? What color is my skin again?

Pine needles in your water?
Adds nutrients.

Fruit snacks fell in the dirt?
Chew a little less so you avoid the gritty crunch.

Random M&M on the trail?
Gotta save it from the wild animals that would become sick from eating it. 😉

I have one set of hiking clothes – pants and shirt. These not-so-slowly accumulate stink each day on the trail. I peel them off each night to change into “clean” sleeping clothes, sometimes taking a sponge bath with water, sometimes a wet wipe, sometimes just a couple wafts of air to the stinkier areas. Pretty much, we just stink. Three-minute coin-operated showers are heaven sent!

My pants serve many purposes: sun protection, mosquito protection, vanity protection, and a general wiping surface. It only takes a couple days on-trail before my pants look like Joseph’s coat of many watercolors; water spots, crusty spots, brown splotches, red splotches, sticky patches. Somehow, my shirt is never nearly as dirty as my pants.

Now, for the most FAQ I’ve gotten regarding hygiene on the trail: What do I do about a toilet?
#1: A dedicated bandana. (For your own comfort, don’t use the bandana sunning itself on my pack without asking)
#2: Catholes. (See below)

A cathole is not where a feline friend lives. But it is a great friend in the wilderness. I’m fortunate enough to dig holes very regularly…

Regarding the art of digging a hole:

• Always dig deeper than you think you’ll need. Once you begin filling the hole, you will not desire to dig further.
• Always dig wider than you think you’ll need. Volume is difficult to anticipate. See point one.
• Always dig earlier than you think you’ll need. Time is necessary for digging a proper hole, and hole digging is NOT fun in times of urgency.
• Choose location carefully. Stands of trees offer privacy, but also roots. Rocky soil is not friendly in times of gastrointestinal distress.
• Prepare your tools (TP and ziploc for packing used paper out) for quick use prior to filling your hole. There are evil creatures in the wilderness that watch and know that the digging of holes signifies imminent mooning and vulnerable flesh.
• Utilize the “Squat and Swat” method when in mosquito country.
• Use a stick to stir (speeds up decomposition). Disguise your handiwork with pine needles and sticks. You get bonus points if no one knows what happened while you were out of sight. NO ONE likes finding your TP (or other) decorations beneath the bushes.
• Triumphantly return to the trail and your pack, thankful for hand sanitizer and sealed plastic bags.

Now you’re an expert in hole digging! Can’t help you with the filling part, but I trust you’ve got that under control. 😉