Rocky Mountain Chapter - Colorado

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Walking Softly

Low Impact Techniques for the Backcountry

From The High Plains Group's
High Plains Post Publication
Page 2, Spring 1999

by Roger J. Wendell

As a young boy in the 60s, hiking and camping was a low-tech, high-impact affair.  Back then cutting switchbacks, felling small trees (or large branches) for firewood, and washing in the stream were standard practices.  Now, with diminishing wilderness and a burgeoning human population, such disregard for nature has begun to take its toll.  So, here are a few rules I try to follow in an effort to leave as little trace as possible:

• Always travel on foot.  There's little need for unicycles, llamas or ORVs.  Also, stay on the trail whenever possible, walking around mud puddles and water unnecessarily widens the path.  Your hiking boots should be sufficiently waterproofed to allow you a walk through ankle-deep slush and still maintain dry feet - It's okay to get muddy!  Also, short cuts, especially across switchbacks, create unnecessary erosion and can even create a rock hazard for yourself and others. If you must leave the trail, avoid cryptogamic soils, alpine tundra, and other fragile environments.  Try using snow fields, rocks, or even fallen trees to get your feet over sensitive areas.  Groups leaving the trail should spread out to avoid creating a new path.
• Camp in fully established campsites when they are available.  Avoid camping in meadows - snow or rock is a good choice when established campsites aren't accessible.
• With the exception of an emergency, never build a fire!  Fire rings, burnt rocks and ashes leave permanent scars on the land.  Also, gathering firewood denudes the surrounding area and robs local wildlife of much needed biological material.  If you need to cook, a small backpacking stove is vastly superior to any fire when it comes to ease-of-use, cleanliness, and cooking control.  In addition, the traditional campfire separates you even further from the wilderness experience with its light pollution and smoke.
• Please don't eat the daisies!  Leave the nuts, berries and flowers you find for the creatures that live there.  You could get sick by making the wrong selection for yourself.  In addition, the reverse is also true: Don't feed the animals!  They can become dependent on human food and even sickened by it.
• Leave your pets at home.  As much as I love dogs, they scare wildlife away in addition to intimidating people on the trail.  Recently, while hiking beneath the Flatirons in you-know-which county, I ran into a family carrying their pet rabbit in a backpack.  Although it was a cute scene, I doubt the rabbit was having much fun...
• Don't wash your dishes, body, or anything else in the stream.  If you need to wash anything, carry water away from the stream, in a bucket or pan, to a place where the gray water can't return to the source.  Many experienced backpackers simply don't bathe, even on long trips.  Others go for a week without cooking, thus avoiding the need to clean any dishes (or carry bulky cooking gear).  On extended desert trips you'll find you have no choice but to conserve water anyway.
• Human waste, toilet paper, and feminine products require planning and forethought.  Some areas, including glaciers and steep climbing routes, require that you carry EVERYTHING out!  However, in general, you should plan to at least carry out used paper products in sealed plastic bags while burying human waste.  Many people are gaining experience with rocks, leaves, and snow to lessen their dependence on toilet paper.  Feces are deposited in a six inch "cat hole" 200 feet from water courses, trails and camp areas.  Urination should take place on bare ground or rocks - not on vegetation.  Of course, whenever possible, travelers should use an outhouse or wait until returning from the backcountry.
• On an aesthetic note, let nature's sounds and colors prevail.  Keep loud noises, voices, brightly colored gear and clothing to a minimum
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In summary, there isn't too much that's mysterious about low impact techniques.  Entering the land with a healthy respect for the environment can provide you with the incentive to leave as little trace as possible.  By walking ever so softly, we can do our part to preserve that special place called wilderness.

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Outings Chair: Jacob Morgan

Assistant Outings Chair: Gary Matthews

Member of Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links