Nature Quickie: Plunging Into River Sex & Hygiene

with professional river guide Tess McEnroe

brought to you by Janji

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features professional river guide Tess McEnroe, who knows firsthand just how important it is to take care of your reproductive health while navigating a multi-day river trip. From taking a pee break to navigating privacy (plus-- how to make river sex time a cleaner, more lovely experience), Tess drops tip after tip for how to keep vaginas healthy on the river.

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Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via MusicBed.

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This transcript was lightly edited and created using a transcription service. As such it may contain spelling errors.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

You’re listening to a Sex Outside Nature Quickie-- a short 5-minute dive into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. I’m Laura Borichevsky.

Tess McEnroe:

Sex on a river trip is amazing and it can be so, so good-- and it can also be something completely new for people. So I think setting yourself up for success as much as possible is great.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

Springtime is in full swing-- which, for a lot of folks who love the water, might also mean river trips. Multiple days out on the river can be invigorating, refreshing-- and also a situation that, especially if you have a vagina, can be rife with opportunity for bodily discomfort. Fortunately, there’s Tess McEnroe. She’s a professional river guide with tons of experience out on the water and knows firsthand how to navigate reproductive hygiene while you’re out there. 

Tess McEnroe:

A lot of these things are really preventative if you're prioritizing good hygiene, whenever you're outside, especially on a river trip.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

I asked Tess to join this Nature Quickie because, honestly-- the consequences of not taking care of our reproductive parts isn’t talked about enough. And while it might seem like these proactive measures are small and simple enough that they perhaps don’t matter, the reality is that not attending to your body’s needs on a trip can be a serious pain.

Tess McEnroe:

I think it matters because if you don't, then you can be really uncomfortable, really fast. You know, you're in the backcountry or at least, you know, a solid amount of travel time to a doctor or something. And especially if you're on a multi-day trip or overnight bathing and hygiene out there is really, really important. And of course it depends on your environment or the landscape, whether it's desert or high alpine forest, for example, and the different kinds of river environments and rules, if you will. But taking a bath, I think is one of the best things you can do for yourself, physically and mentally for your hygiene.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

Bathing regularly is something that can help a *lot* with making sure your entire body stays clean, and to Tess’s point, depending on what environment you’re recreating in, there are different practices for what’s considered most environmentally-conscious when it comes to washing off. In alpine forest areas, it’s a common practice to take any dedicated shower or bath at least 200 feet away from other natural water sources like creeks or lakes-- unless you are permitted to swim in them for a quick dunk. Rivers and waterways in the desert are usually a much different story. Where the water flows at higher volumes, it is typically a responsible practice to wash off in the river directly. If you have questions about bathing prior to any river trip you plan to take, consult with others on your trip or contact the local public lands office that stewards the surrounding area to ask for more information.

In short: rinsing off regularly-- even if you’re getting splashed with waves all day-- can help a lot. But just as important as it is to wash off, it’s equally important to get dry.

Tess McEnroe:

The moisture factor is also a really important thing, right? You're wet all the time. You're in and out of the water in these kind of extreme conditions. And whenever you can, get yourself dry or air it out, put on a river skirt or loose shorts or sarong or something and get your situation dry down there, because that feels really good to, to put on like cotton or something at the end of the day, that isn’t wet and that'll help you avoid yeast infections and all those other uncomfortable potentials.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

Okay, so washing, drying… those are some basics that will keep you feeling clean. But what about going to the bathroom? If you’re new to overnight river trips, this is something that a lot of folks with vaginas aren’t always mentally prepared for-- which can lead to some interesting, spur-of-the-moment decision making that impacts your overall reproductive hygiene.

Tess McEnroe:

People sometimes, if they're not as comfortable in that setting, will just be like, “Oh, I'll just pee in my shorts. It's just one day.” You know, they may be a little tentative about going to use the river as the restroom to go pee or whatever, and peeing in your shorts is probably the worst thing you can do anytime, anywhere. But it's an important thing to do, especially out there when you're not close to home and all your normal bathroom situation.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

If you were at all surprised by bathing in the river, I’m guessing you’re *super* surprised by taking your pee break in the river, too. But again-- the desert, high volume river environments at or above about 500 cfs (that’s cubic feet per second) are a different story when it comes to urination.

Tess McEnroe:

You don't want to pee on shore because then it starts to smell like a litter box when that bakes in camp year after year, person after person. And so we always say, you know, number one in the river and always, you know, number two in the groover or whatever your toilet situation is that you're packing out. Peeing in the river is really a lot easier, but really, really intimidating to people at first, especially if you have a vagina you're, you know, probably having to take down your shorts because the other option is peeing in your shirts, which you don't want to do. So I always say: face your audience. You know, you can go be discreet, but if you put your butt facing the river and you face the shore, then you do your thing, make sure it goes into the water and dilutes and everything.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

And when Tess says “into the water”-- she means *into* the water. No wet sand peeing, as the river is not able to dilute that urine and it can lead to bacteria build up and potentially cause algae or other adverse environmental impacts on the riverbank. 

But to her point about being anxious about privacy-- this is completely common with folks who are new to group river trips, or times where there are lots of other recreationalist around. And as someone with ample experience navigating these kinds of trips, Tess has some thoughts to share on how to create more privacy when it feels like there isn’t any to be found.

Tess McEnroe:

Another really important thing to think about that I also want to mention is that privacy is given, especially when we're on a river trip or in an outdoor travel setting. If somebody is looking at you while you're using the bathroom, then that's definitely their problem. And it might feel like your problem, but really they are the ones who should be looking away and giving you privacy. And so I think it's important to establish that with the group you're traveling with as well. And I would hope that everybody would be on board with that statement of giving privacy and respect.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

Okay, so you’ve heard a lot of the basics on reproductive hygiene when you’re on the river. But what about sex? Whether you’re alone or with a partner, it’s something that on an overnight trip might seem super appealing. And according to Tess, you’d be right about that-- which is why she has some thoughts on how you can feel prepared to manage your hygiene both before and after things get a little steamy.

Tess McEnroe:

First of all, sex on a river trip is amazing and it can be so, so good-- and it can also be something completely new for people. So I think setting yourself up for success as much as possible is great, whether that's like what's in your sleep kit, if you're with a partner, you know, having a really nice ground tarp to keep the sand and dirt kind of as your little bedroom area. I think finding a spot is also really important somewhere where you feel comfortable private away from the group, or, you know, whatever you're comfortable with, but kind of finding your own little secluded, beautiful spot to have sex or whatever it is you're going to do with your partner or by yourself. You know, it's just nice to have a good sleep kit. And then in terms of hygiene and stuff, I think the best thing you can do is skinny dip.

I'm just a massive pro-skinny dipper before and after, you know, it just kind of sets you in this like naked, beautiful state. And it also is clean. You know, it gets you clean if you're having a really sandy day, even after you took a bath, take a little skinny dip before you go lay on your nice bed that you set up with your person and skinny dipping after is really nice too, because then you can go down the river and pee, you can rinse off, you can kind of do all those things you might do after sex in your home or another setting. And just also reconnect with the water and go back to your beautiful sleep kit and, and enjoy your, you know, naked, dry under the stars. It's pretty great. So yeah, I'm a big fan of the skinny dip

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

To our point earlier about privacy-- it can always be given on the river… but with the potential for close quarters, sometimes privacy might accidentally *not* be given, if you know what I mean.

So, aside from being mentally prepared, what happens if your private sex time becomes a little less private than you planned?

Tess McEnroe:

I think it's also one of those things where if you end up in a compromised situation or maybe you're embarrassed or something, if something happens or whatever, it's also like laugh it off; it just gives you more experience. And if you're able to like find some humor in it afterwards, then it's usually just a good story. 

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

Thanks for tuning in to this Sex Outside Nature Quickie, and a huge thanks to Tess McEnroe for joining us for this episode. For more information to continue your research, click through our show notes and check out our other resources. You can find more from Tess on Instagram @tessmcenroe, and follow along with us @sexoutsidepod for more action between episodes. Music is by Calica and Hey Lunar. I’m Laura Borichevsky. Thanks so much for joining us. Until next time!

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