Research can be a friend. Even in Florida there are requirements and suggestions for hiking on national and state land.
https://www.floridatrail.org/florida-national-scenic-trail/fnst/permits/

I have also looked at some hiking blogs and many suggest getting off the trail at trail heads for showers and food resupply. Good time to hit a laundry as well.

Asking knowledgeable people is a kind of research.

And that is the point isn't it? It looks like you have several interesting hiking trails in Canada and with the exception of ones that go through camp grounds, National or commercial, I don't think they have laundry facilities on the trails or in the more rustic camp sites. But you live there you might know better.

I lived next to a national forest for more than 11 years and have hiked on several trails between Mammoth and Mexico. Today they all take a permit for overnight and most are checked. You cannot camp within 200 feet of streams or rivers. Most have designated camping sites. Are yours different? I hardly overnight anymore however unless it is out with friends in the desert.

https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/...gorgonio-hike/

The last three hikes I did were San G. , Mount Baldy and San Jacinto. I now only do day hikes on San Jacinto. It requires a permit for a day hike. None of them have washing machines or showers. So I believe the bloggers are correct, go to the trail head, go into the town and shower and do laundry. It isn't something I would need to make up to anger someone that hasn't tried a trail yet.

I haven't done any serious distance hiking, but from my indirect exposure to Canadian trails through the media or happening to be vacationing in the vicinity, or short forays, or on a mixed use trail where I have sometimes biked a segment, I am sure most have minimal en route facilities except at nodal points like a town or a vacation site that serves as a trail head/access point. Still, I assume that some of these stopping points have laundry facilities that are available to hikers either in a public campground or in private businesses. Presumably people who are doing a 2000 mile trek have to have clean clothes from time to time.

In Ontario we have the 500+ mile Bruce Trail that follows the Niagara Escarpment which cuts across southern Ontario and my daughter has done a lot of day hikes on it. Part of it goes through farmland and part through short stretches of wilderness but you're never far from a town, so if you were hiking it as part of a multi-day trek you could easily find a laundromat and grocery store for fresh produce every couple of days without going much out of your way. I presume farther north there are some much more remote trails, but it's not as big a deal here as the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, partly because there are so many rivers and lakes to cross. Thus, we have more of a tradition of modern adventurers following remote historic canoe routes, but apparently that is somewhat dying out, and I hear canoe outfitters and guides and so on in places like Quetico (northwest of Duluth MN) and the corresponding Boundary Waters (US side of same area) are struggling with declining business. Canoeists can of course carry a bit more than hikers, so they should be okay for many days or even a couple of weeks without support. And there is lots of water!

I don't know much about hiking elsewhere in Canada. In theory we have the TransCanada trail but it's 90% fiction.

We pretty much agree that this post, 15 and 18 are pretty much how it works in most cases. The trail
heads are short hops off of the trail for people interested in traveling like our ancestors. That is what people that back pack are looking for. Not showers, stores and laundry stops every 80 miles on the trail.

If you truly want to hike freely without getting rides, you would have to hike to and from stores/laundromats/towns to resupply, shower, and wash gear. That is fine if you, as you said in an earlier post, want to use credit cards to spend money on lodging, which you presumably plan to pay back by making big money somehow. Me, as you know and dislike, I'm a minimalist who doesn't like to make and spend money. My 'American dream' is to live free, like the Indians or like the movie 'Rambo,' or at least as free as possible. I don't mind working to pay for things I need, but part of what makes long-distance hiking/biking/camping interesting for me is that you can achieve distance without spending more money than sitting home. I can go out at home and walk around locally for 10 or 20 miles and go home, cook, shower, and do laundry; so if I could do the same thing but actually end up 10 or 20 miles from where I started in the morning each day, I could travel car-free and without wasting money.

So we have had this discussion many times before, and I suspect we will always rub each other wrong where these economic values are concerned, but to me it's as simple as looking at a long distance hiking trail, such as the Florida Trail, Appalachian Trail, etc. and asking, can I camp wherever I get tired? Can I wash gear and take a shower? Can I get food and how many pounds of food will I have to carry between resupply trips?

Then, because I'm a person who thinks about all possibilities, including those currently available as well as those that could be available if they were created, it makes an interesting discussion to think about all these possible dimensions. E.g. I could hunt meat with a long knife, Rambo-style and/or gather wild edible plants, but that could be detrimental to the ecology, so it would be good to buy food at a store. I could wash gear and shower by hand using environmentally-friendly soap and surface water, but if there was a hand-pump for water, the water might have a little less biological matter in it - and if there was a washing machine that ran off a battery charged by a solar panel, then I wouldn't have to wash clothes by hand, nor would there need to be a grid connection to power a single washing machine. Now, I will agree with you that people who like primitive hiking don't want washing machines on the trails, and I am one such person, but I think it would be ok if it was just one washing machine somewhere with a solar panel and no power lines, similar to when there is a composting toilet set up or a hand-pump well. These are technologies, yes, but they are very limited and don't require a grid-connection. In fact, for all I care the washing machine could be human powered with a hand-crank or better yet pedals, but I have yet to see such a washing machine, so I mention the solar panel + battery option as the most realistic available at this time.

Now, I shouldn't allow myself to get upset by things you say, but I'll try to explain why they upset me. Maybe it is not intentional on your part, so I will say that my intent is to keep the peace as I wish that to be yours. But when you say something like land is cleared for camping, that sickens me because to me the whole purpose of camping is to avoid clearing land. I know you're right that it happens, but it bothers me and I think that you like it when things I support result in trees getting cut, because you know I cherish trees. When I say things like LCF or camping protect trees, that is only when people make biking/hiking paths and camping spots in a way that doesn't remove lots of trees. Anything can be done wrong/badly, but that doesn't mean LCF/camping is the cause. The cause is the people who use LCF/camping as an excuse to clear natural land unnecessarily.

The other thing you said that bothered me related to designated camping areas. If someone is out hiking and they don't plan to drive or get a ride somehow, they have to pitch a tent/bivvy and sleep where they are. Obviously we try to plan to make it to designated campsites if possible, but sometimes things happen and it's easier to just pitch camp where you are, and it is stressful when you expect to be harassed for trespassing or otherwise breaking rules for sleeping in a tent somewhere. The unpleasantness of this is a deterrent to hiking, and it's especially unpleasant when someone flaunts it as strong intolerance, the way you seem to with your language-use. I'm sorry if I misjudge you based on your writing style, but this is all I have to go on so I respond to the tone/attitude I perceive you as expressing.

Let me make this short and simple, no tone intended. Do you have any idea why they want someone to camp in designated camping sites on nature trails? Think fire and trees and brush. Do you know why they want to know who is on the trail? Think people getting lost. Do you know how much water a washing machine might take? Think a truck burning gas at 6 to 10 MPG hauling water to the site even if it were solar. Nature trails are designed for people that are willing to prepare to use them. Haul your own solar shower bag. I have one and most back packing people can tell you where to get them. We have whole stores designed to help us buy camping food for easy transporting.

We might all like free stuff and we all have to decide how important our wants are and budget accordingly. Yes you might have to walk to a trail head and yes you might have to walk to town from the trail head but when you plan a trip these things need to be taken into account. When I hit the road it was a bit like Walter describes I have a budget in mind and set the time to accomplish the trip. I no longer have the time or energy for those longer trips but I can remember having to see where I could get water on the trail, I had water purification tabs just in case. If water wasn't available on the trail I had to find a trail head with a town within five miles. And yes there were times spending the night at a motel 8 was in order. But not on every trip. The biggest reason we have the rules we do on these trails is so they might be available for others in the future. They aren't there so that we need to grade a service road to service washing machines and showers. But that is off topic.

I have posted what the people that maintain these trails suggest because I and many generations of back packers, most more hard core than myself, have learned to follow these suggestions. Killing animals along the way requires a hunting permit in most states. Rambo was fiction and in the book he dies. That was intended to be a joke.

If they understand that people are on foot and sometimes you just can't make it to the designated site, then that's fine. It's when they harass and/or fine you that it becomes a problem. I don't want to go hiking if there's punitive pressure to make it to the designated camping area before stopping due to fatigue.

Unfortunately, you can't know who will misuse personal information until it happens, and even then you might not know if they do it covertly.

Check out this gem of a hand-crank washing machine and imagine trying to carry it in a hiking pack. Also, hand-pump wells don't usually give you potable water, but it is clear of debris and good enough for washing and/or filtering to drink.

I have a solar shower bag. It's not really necessary. It's just as easy to pour water over yourself using a bottle. The problem is standing on the dirt. A small raised deck, preferably with privacy barrier, lets you wash and rinse yourself without getting your feet dirty so you can put on socks and shoes after your shower without having sand/dirt inside your socks. These are tiny, simple things that would not alter the natural environment appreciably.

I actually don't want anything free. I just don't see why you can walk someplace for free but you have to pay to sleep. That makes no sense to me. I think it is purely to prevent vagrants from squatting and ruining a place, which I also dislike, but I think that's a different problem than someone who is through-hiking pitching a tent to sleep.

When Motel 6 began, rooms were as low as $8/night, I think. Now you'd be lucky to find one for five times that amount. But it's not really the issue for me, anyway. I don't like to sleep in motel rooms. I'd rather sleep in a tent under a tree.

I agree with you here too. Take a look at the hand-crank washing machine I posted above. That thing could be carried in on foot if you weren't carrying a heavy pack. I've seen videos where trail managers recruit hikers to help them carry a sign to the top of a mountain or things to that effect. I certainly don't want service roads cleared or any other grid infiltration. I'm surprised we agree on this, but it seems we do.

It's fine. Obviously I understand it's fiction. It's just a clear portrayal of a certain nomadic ethic and the conflicts it can encounter because otherwise well-meaning people have fear and prejudices of various kinds. I'm against killing animals unless absolutely necessary, but I can see why it would irritate some people to have to apply for a permit to harvest natural food. Generally, I understand the purpose of permits, but it bothers me when they make what you're trying to do overly difficult or restrictive. Sometimes rules are brilliant, and other times they miss the point; and the problem with them is that they have to be enforced uniformly to work, i.e. if they work at all considering all the people who simply violate them quietly.

I think having a hand cranked washing machine like that on on some multi-day trails is a great idea, assuming it's at an access point like a parking lot, public campground etc, and you use eco-friendly soap and there is an appropriate waste water disposal plan. If It came with a hand cranked wringer, you could hang your semi-damp clothes on some bushes to finish drying or drape them over your backpack as you walked.

If no wringer is available, you will have to hand wring them.

What would you do with it while out on the trail?

And to think I dread doing laundry the modern way.

With the washing machine or the laundry?

The washing machine? No one is going to carry one with them so you would have to leave it somewhere? I mean back packing is all a matter of ounces. Light weight food, light weight tents, light weight cooking fuel, light weight lighting.

No, I meant it could be donated and left for anyone to use. Apparently the Appalachian Trail has shelters every 8-15 miles, some of them with a water supply like a creek or a well, and an outhouse. I don't think it would detract from the wilderness experience if an occasional one - say every 3-4 days - had a manual washing machine like the one in the video, which you could fill with a bucket from the well, so you could churn your undies and T-shirts in a bit of nature friendly soapy water, rinse and wring out, all by hand crank. There's probably some concentrated powder soap you could use that weighs very little. At home I use about a tablespoon of low residue powdered soap for a full load so a cup would probably last a month if I'm only washing essentials.

At $299.00 I suppose you could donate it. I would also question how many days it would last? My experience with donated things left in wilderness shelters might be different than yours.

I have no experience to compare. If it's miles from the trailhead I assume once it's lugged in by a shelter maintenance volunteer, nobody's going to carry it out, and only very dedicated hikers will encounter it, so hopefully trail etiquette will work to keep it operational. I mean if the pump works, it means vandals didn't take the handle.

Wishful thinking. But it is good to know someone that is so trusting.

Maybe a look at some of the "shelters" and suggestions from campers might help?
https://sectionhiker.com/sleeping-in...trail-shelter/

I didn't see any relevant comments in that link - just stuff about snoring, mice and where to hang your food.

Nothing about day access? About weekend hikers? and the sheds they call shelters themselves? We don't come across them much on the PCT, if at all, but they are mostly an emergency thing. But I guess you couldn't see they don't look like anyone maintains them on a steady basis. I cannot picture anyone leaving soap there can you? And like I said a $299.00 donation might grow legs and take a walk some weekend just Maybe? A bit like leaving a bicycle unlocked on your porch or in front of your home? In other words the shelters are unattended and unsecured 24/7/365. Are you a betting person?

You'd have to bring your own soap. A cup of powder would do multiple loads. The Appalachian shelters are maintained by volunteers, to a basic minimum. There's usually a broom and some ropes for hanging stuff up and I assume they do some repairs to make sure you don't fall through rotten floorboards at night. In addition to some rowdy weekend hikers there are a lot of through hikers who spend 6 months doing the whole trail and might have to walk several miles off they trail quite a few times times along the way to find a laundromat. A simple hand cranked agitator in a tub every hundred miles or so that you fill with a bucket from the creek and add your own tablespoon of powder sounds like it would save hundreds of hours of side trips and waiting for washer and dryer time, and tens or hundreds of dollars in cash for people who want to devote their energies to the trail itself. You would arrive at the shelter, spend 15 minutes or so washing and rinsing one load consisting of one pair of pants and two or three sets of socks, shirts and underwear, hang them overnight, and be on your way in the morning at virtually no cost in time or money.

The thing wouldn't be stolen as it would be too heavy for some idiot to bother carting out, so the worry would be wearing out, or vandalism.

I would hand wash as needed every few days and find a laundry mat, hotel or full service campground every month or so to also wash the bulkier stuff. All the rest is excess.

I always use trains and buses when going long distance. It's easy since I live in New Jersey and we have good commuter rail service. If this were not the case, I would look at getting a decent folding bike like Bike Friday and use Uber. The driver rates are about a third a taxi would charge in my city! I don't know how they can make a living.

All you would need is one bus or train in case you get stuck. Here's the problem once you break down.

1. Commuter Rail - The stops may not be close by but Google maps can point them out to you. You also may not have service during your hour of need or the train schedule may not be handy. Also have your cell phone just in case to look up this information.

2. Bus - This is even harder to use as backup since Google maps do now show where the bus routes are located. I know numerous bus routes numbers so using bus service isn't an issue but locating the bus stop is! Thankfully, a person did create a bus map of the entire state of New Jersey so I have a good idea where the bus is traveling. The second problem with using the bus as a backup if it doesn't have a bike rack. This is why a folding bike would be better than a full size bike when using public transit as a backup.

I actually like this portable washing machine better. Although you would have to car camp!

Most of them can't. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-03-08/uber-drivers-earn-pay-that-s-just-above-the-poverty-line and thta/s with the fare


And neither can Uber as a company though some early investors and founders may have cashed out on the pyramid scam-like later financing. The company burns through its investors' cash at the rate of hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter, much of it subsidizing its artificially low fare rate in its cut throat competition with Lyft in the U.S. and other companies elsewhere.

And don't forget about its money losing, soon to go kaput, autonomous vehicle experiment.

Bottom line: Don't count on getting inexpensive Uber rides too far into the future.

And you can probably also make bread!

That one is definitely too fancy to leave at a rustic trail stop. A tub with a hand cranked cylinder and a drain hole seems more viable.