Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Art of Hiking
When standing nose to nose with a mountain lion, you're probably not too con-
cerned with the issue of ethical behavior in the wild. No doubt you're just terrified.
But let's be honest. How often are you nose to nose with a mountain lion? For most
of us, a hike into the “wild” means loading up the SUV with expensive gear and
driving to a toileted trailhead. Sure, you can mourn how civilized we've be-
come—how GPS units have replaced natural instinct and Gore-Tex stands in for
true-grit—but the silly gadgets of civilization aside, we have plenty of reason to
take pride in how we've matured. With survival now on the back burner, we've be-
gun to understand that we have a responsibility to protect, no longer just conquer,
our wild places: that they, not we, are at risk. So please, do what you can. The fol-
lowing section will help you understand better what it means to “do what you can”
while still making the most of your hiking experience. Anyone can take a hike, but
hiking safely and well is an art requiring preparation and proper equipment.
Trail Etiquette
Leave no trace. Always leave an area just like you found it—if not better than you
found it. Avoid camping in fragile, alpine meadows and along the banks of streams
and lakes. Use a camp stove versus building a wood fire. Pack up all of your trash
and extra food. Bury human waste at least 100 feet from water sources under 6 to 8
inches of topsoil. Don't bathe with soap in a lake or stream—use prepackaged
moistened towels to wipe off sweat and dirt, or bathe in the water without soap.
Stay on the trail. It's true, a path anywhere leads nowhere new, but purists will
just have to get over it. Paths serve an important purpose; they limit impact on nat-
ural areas. Straying from a designated trail may seem innocent but it can cause
damage to sensitive areas—damage that may take years to recover, if it can recover
at all. Even simple shortcuts can be destructive. So, please, stay on the trail.
Leave no weeds. Noxious weeds tend to overtake other plants, which in turn af-
fects animals and birds that depend on them for food. To minimize the spread of
noxious weeds, hikers should regularly clean their boots, tents, packs, and hiking
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