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Philosophy

The following outlines the basic principles of the Leave No Trace philosophy as
found on the official LNT website.  I, like many others, have some issues
with some aspects of this philosophy, and so have provided some commentary on
individual points after the document for your pondering and consideration.
I do support the LNT organization and personally agree with most of the ethics.




Leave No Trace Principles
The Leave No Trace Principles of outdoor ethics form the framework of Leave No Trace's message:

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


Plan Ahead and Prepare
    * Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
    * Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
    * Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
    * Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into groups of 4-6.
    * Repackage food to minimize waste.
    * Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
    * Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
    * Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
    * Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.
    * In popular areas:
          o Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
          o Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
          o Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
    * In pristine areas:
          o Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
          o Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

Dispose of Waste Properly
    * Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods.
      Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
    * Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
    * Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
    * To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.

Leave What You Find
    * Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
    * Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
    * Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
    * Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Minimize Campfire Impacts
   * Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
    * Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
    * Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
    * Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

Respect Wildlife
    * Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
    * Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
    * Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
    * Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
    * Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors
    * Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
    * Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
    * Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
    * Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
    * Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises




Turk's Commentary on The Ethics of Leave No Trace:

Quote: "* Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging."
I have a bit of a beef with this one.  Trails do not build, nor maintain themselves.  If it were not for paint, ribbons and rock cairns, many of Northern Ontario's very best trails would be completely unused and far more difficult to navigate.  A trail marker is a safety device, and often a navigational checkpoint.  To remove one should be a cardinal sin.  If you buy into superstition.. then it is very bad mojo, voodoo, karma, luck, etc to destroy or erase a trail marker.  You could very well be contributing to an unsafe condition for another hiker trying to navigate.  In regards to stick markers and rock cairns - these are very low impact devices to mark a trail.  If placed correctly, then can be quite temporary, and will disappear within a single season.  I am all for the proper implementation of 'field made' markers to supplement and bolster long or particularly difficult sections of existing trails.

Quote: "* Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary." This may be true in the deep backcountry.  But by far and away the majority of 'designated' camp sites along northern Ontario's trails are completely 'retarded' from a logistics standpoint.  These sites are often selected for their senic views and asthetic appeal.  They are never spaced adequately apart for any fast or slow hiker I have ever talked with, and invariably several sites are bunched close together like some kind of 'condo community'.  As if to say, what, you wanted privacy??.  If this wasn't rediculous enough... lets look at the characteristics of the typical park 'designated' site.  I can't count the number of sites I explore where wind and rain exposure are the no. 1 downfall of the site.  To make matters worse the fire pits are almost invariably built upwind and within 10ft, of the one decent flat spot to pitch a tent.  The cleared underbrush, clearly intented to pitch a tent, will almost always be in the path of rain run off... and the wooden privy, is almost always located in an area with privacy from the trail, but wide open viewing from the camp site.   So in short ... hell yes, I alter some designated sites.  Some are so bad, I have done my best to erase them entirely, wiping out the firepits entirely, and dragging deadfalls across the entrances and flattened ground.  This is not to say that all sites are bad.  But, alot of designated sites are really bad locations and poorly chosen and executed at that.

Quote: "* Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products." ... Riiiight.  Umm, they make biodegradable toilet paper.  If you put this IN the cathole along with the waste... I say you are doing your part.  If I ever hike with a group and go digging through a 'communal' bag for something, and find a ziplock of already used T.P. ... well, that person will soon become a solo hiker.  Come on, this is just gross.
Burn it, bury it .. do something.  But don't think you're getting skid marked TP near my pack.


Quote: "* Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter." Perhaps the single most retarded line in LNT's entire philosophy.  They pretty much summarized any moment in the year.  What are these people smoking.  Do they have absolutely no clue as to how this cycle works.  There is just nothing more to say about it.  A stupid statement that can be intrepreted as ... um don't go anywhere, anytime of year, we have just defined 'sensitive' times for animals to encompass 365 days of the year.


So ya, this is the 'short version' of my LNT beefs.  I do very much respect the basic concept, but when you nitpick at the individual items they get into detail on... I cannot see how the philosophy could ever be 100% literally executed.  Take it as you will.  For the most part. It is good stuff.  And very important to preserve the future of any trail.