From Beauty to Beast

I've never considered myself a high-maintenance woman (though I'm sure some ex-boyfriends are now muttering under their breath). I've never worn heaps of makeup and my experimental hair-dying phase was over years ago. I keep it simple when it comes to personal hygiene and grooming, choosing a razor over wax, bar soap over body wash, and natural deodorant over anti-perspirant. And while I enjoyed curling or straightening my hair and wearing the occasional cute sundress back at home, I knowlingly entered into a life of simplicity when I left. Traveling with all your belongings in a backpack forces you to let go of some creature comforts that you might normally rely on. Not to mention the compromises and shortcuts you have to make when sleeping in vans and tents and bathing in whatever water you can find.

While I have saved money by living in a tent on a friend's land for the last couple weeks, and enjoy the natural adventure that is bathing in a freshwater stream, I have begun to look a bit of a mess:

-In an effort to spend less at the laundromat, I've been washing my clothes all in one load. My whites are now a dingy dishwater color, and several shirts are now twisted and misshapen with threads falling out the seams.

-I am on my 4th pair of sunglasses. The first pair was crushed on my head when climbing into campervan #2 in Fiordland National Park. The second, and my favorite, pair was lost to the sea gods while sailing on a particularly rough and windy evening on the Pacific Ocean. I've already had to superglue the third pair's frame back together, and I've gotten a 4th pair as a backup, just in case.

-I have cuts, scrapes, and bruises all over my legs.

- I have at least 10 sandfly bites on each foot and I CANNOT STOP SCRATCHING!

-I can't remember the last time I wore makeup.

-I just had to cut off 3 inches of my hair due to some serious damage from sun, sand, wind, and surf. My formerly silky, healthy hair, has turned to a course mop with a spongy consistency.

-I can now easily walk barefoot over gravel and volcanic rock, but I'm not sure I will ever get the bottoms of my feet fully clean again.
-My fingernails have been taken over by cuticles and I'm not sure whether the dark coloring on my knees is tan or dirt.

I have become a she-beast and am convinced I am doomed to a life of filth.