The
Principles of Leave No Trace – A Perfect Match for Hiking Light
The
principles of Leave No Trace are common sense practices for all
hikers. Note how they go hand-in-hand with ultralight
backpacking. The first Leave No Trace principle, Plan Ahead and
Prepare, is the very essence of hiking light. Planning ahead
insures that you’ll pack lighter and have less impact on the
environment. The second principle is to travel and camp on
durable surfaces. All the Leave No Trace principles are common
sense guidelines. When you hike light, you’re closer to
nature and every step is softer. Hike light. Have
fun. Leave no trace.
1.
Plan Ahead and Prepare
Proper trip planning and preparation helps
hikers and campers accomplish trip goals safely and enjoyably while
minimizing damage to natural and cultural resources. Campers who plan
ahead can avoid unexpected situations, and minimize their impact by
complying with area regulations such as observing limitations on group
size. Schedule your trek to avoid times of high use. Obtain permits or
permission to use the area for your trek.
Proper planning ensures
- Low-risk adventures because campers obtained information
concerning geography and weather and prepared accordingly
- Properly located campsites because campers allotted enough
time to reach their destination
- Appropriate campfires and minimal trash because of careful
meal planning and food repackaging and proper equipment
- Comfortable and fun camping and hiking experiences because
the outing matches the skill level of the participants
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Damage to land occurs when visitors trample
vegetation or communities of organisms beyond recovery. The resulting
barren areas develop into undesirable trails, campsites, and soil
erosion.
Concentrate Activity, or Spread Out?
- In high-use areas, campers should concentrate their
activities where vegetation is already absent. Minimize resource damage
by using existing trails and selecting designated or existing
campsites. Keep campsites small by arranging tents in close proximity.
- In more remote, less-traveled areas, campers should generally
spread out. When hiking, take different paths to avoid creating new
trails that cause erosion. When camping, disperse tents and cooking
activities--and move camp daily to avoid creating permanent-looking
campsites. Avoid places where impacts are just beginning to show.
Always choose the most durable surfaces available: rock, gravel, sand,
compacted soil, dry grasses, or snow.
These guidelines apply to most alpine settings
and may be different for other areas, such as deserts. Learn the Leave
No Trace techniques for your crew's specific activity or destination.
Check with land managers to be sure of the proper technique.
3. Dispose of Waste Properly (Pack It In, Pack It Out)
This simple yet effective saying motivates back country
visitors to take their trash home with them. It
makes sense to carry out of the backcountry the extra materials taken
there by your group or others. Inspect your campsite for trash or
spilled foods. Accept the challenge of packing out all trash, leftover
food, and litter.
Sanitation
Backcountry users create body waste and
wastewater that require proper disposal.
Wastewater. Help prevent contamination of
natural water sources: After straining food particles, properly dispose
of dishwater by dispersing at least 200 feet (about 80 to 100 strides
for a youth) from springs, streams, and lakes. Use biodegradable soap
200 feet or more from any water source.
Human Waste. Proper human waste disposal helps
prevent the spread of disease and exposure to others. Catholes 6 to 8
inches deep in humus and 200 feet from water, trails, and campsites are
often the easiest and most practical way to dispose of feces.
4. Leave What You Find
Allow others a sense of discovery, and preserve
the past. Leave rocks, plants, animals, archaeological artifacts, and
other objects as you find them. Examine but do not touch cultural or
historical structures and artifacts. It may be illegal to remove
artifacts.
Minimize Site Alterations
Do not dig tent trenches or build lean-tos,
tables, or chairs. Never hammer nails into trees, hack at trees with
hatchets or saws, or damage bark and roots by tying horses to trees for
extended periods. Replace surface rocks or twigs that you cleared from
the campsite. On high-impact sites, clean the area and dismantle
inappropriate user-built facilities such as multiple fire rings and log
seats or tables.
Good campsites are found, not made. Avoid
altering a site, digging trenches, or building structures.
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
Some people would not think of camping without
a campfire. Yet the naturalness of many areas has been degraded by
overuse of fires and increasing demand for firewood.
Lightweight camp stoves make low-impact camping
possible by encouraging a shift away from fires. Stoves are fast,
eliminate the need for firewood, and make cleanup after meals easier.
After dinner, enjoy a candle lantern instead of a fire.
If you build a fire, the most important
consideration is the potential for resource damage. Whenever possible,
use an existing campfire ring in a well-placed campsite. Choose not to
have a fire in areas where wood is scarce--at higher elevations, in
heavily used areas with a limited wood supply, or in desert settings.
True Leave No Trace fires are small. Use dead
and downed wood that can be broken easily by hand. When possible, burn
all wood to ash and remove all unburned trash and food from the fire
ring. If a site has two or more fire rings, you may dismantle all but
one and scatter the materials in the surrounding area. Be certain all
wood and campfire debris is dead out.
6. Respect Wildlife
Quick movements and loud noises are stressful
to animals. Considerate campers practice these safety methods:
- Observe wildlife from afar to avoid disturbing them.
- Give animals a wide berth, especially during breeding,
nesting, and birthing seasons.
- Store food securely and keep garbage and food scraps away
from animals so they will not acquire bad habits. Never feed wildlife.
Help keep wildlife wild.
You are too close if an animal alters its
normal activities.
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Thoughtful campers respect other visitors and
protect the quality of their experience.
- Travel and camp in small groups (no more than the group size
prescribed by land managers).
- Let nature's sounds prevail. Keep the noise down and leave
radios, tape players, and pets at home.
- Select campsites away from other groups to help preserve
their solitude.
- Always travel and camp quietly to avoid disturbing other
visitors.
- Make sure the colors of clothing and gear blend with the
environment.
- Respect private property and leave gates (open or closed) as
found.
Be considerate of other campers and respect
their privacy.
For more information, visit the Leave No Trace website at: http://www.lnt.org/
Contact
Call: (800) 933-HIKE (4453)
Email: hikelight@yahoo.com
