I gave a presentation on Leave No Trace on the Beginner Backpack Workshop held by Appalachian Mountain Club, Delaware Valley Chapter, April 22, 2006.

What I presented was based on the principles conducted by The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and which fall in these seven categories (For steps to follow, in order to apply the principles, please download and read this file: Leave No Trace Principles of Outdoor Ethics.)

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Minimize Camp Fire Impact
4. Respect Wildlife
5. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
6. Dispose of Waste Properly
7. Leave What You Find

According to my personal leading experience, I emphasized the following:

1. Established versus Non-established:

If there is something established such as trails, camp sites, out houses, etc, use it. If there is nothing established, do your best so that nobody can find out you have been there.

For example, if there is a trail, walk on the trail, and make efforts to walk in the center. Do this even if there is a small puddle of water or mud, so that the trail will not be widened. Don’t take shortcuts when you can use a trail. For bushwhacking, the group should spread out instead of walking towards the destination one after another, so that the soil gets minimal impact and has a chance to recover.

When conducting primitive camping, don’t camp on the same spot for consecutive nights. After taking down the tent, you should put back leaves or bushes and make it seem like nobody has been there before to avoid attracting other people to camp on the spot again.

2. Biodegradable versus non-biodegradable:

Pack in and pack out. Just because orange peels or apple cores are biodegradable don’t think that we can leave them behind. It takes a long time for them to degrade (Remember: We even have to bury human waste at least 6 inches deep in order to speed up the biodegrading process.); besides, they don’t belong there in the first place.

3. Water source related

Don’t wash anything at any water source. If you need to rinse your pans and pots, carry the water and do the chores at least 200 feet away. The training I have about cleaning dishes after a meal is to leak them first and then use some drinking water to get the leftover food particles and drink it as soup. I know it sounds a bit disgusting or scary but you’ll get used to it. At least you can do your best not to wash them in a stream, spring or any water source and collect as much left over food as possible using your spatulas or a scrape.

Ps. this is the last article of the Beginner Backpack Workshop Series. Other articles include:

Beginner Backpack Workshop – Boots
Beginner Backpack Workshop – Nutrition, Cooking and Water Supply
Beginner Backpack Workshop – Socks
Beginner Backpack Workshop – Blisters