If you go hiking I’m sure you know that you should always “pack it in, pack it out”, but what else do we need to know to keep the wilderness wild, to “Leave No Trace” of our presence? What should you do if you have to go to the bathroom and there is no outhouse? How should you wash your dishes? What is the most responsible way to have a campfire? The reason we travel to the backcountry is because we want to appreciate nature in its pristine state, but as we visit we impact the land, often in a negative way.
To make sure I’m respecting the land and leaving it as unchanged as possible by my presence, I live my life outdoors by the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace.
I have been a Certified Leave No Trace Trainer since 2006. This means that I’m trained to lead Awareness workshops to help other backcountry users learn about the Seven Principles and how to best implement them while camping and hiking. In June of 2019 I became a certified Leave No Trace Master Educator. So now I can train other people to be Trainers!
Read Next: How to Leave No Trace (And Why it’s Important!)
A decades-old campfire scar still mars the landscape. Learn how to minimize campfire impacts with Leave No Trace.
Leave No Trace Awareness Workshops
I teach Leave No Trace Awareness Workshops to people of all ages, abilities and experience levels. To learn more about the workshops, please see my Leave No Trace Awareness Workshops page.
#LeaveNoTraceTuesday
In the social media age more and more people are finding outdoor inspiration online and it seems that more and more people are heading out into the backcountry. This means that fragile places are seeing increased use and that many people aren’t aware of the impact they are having on the land when they pitch a tent, light a campfire, or do their dishes. I started the #LeaveNoTraceTuesday hashtag movement on Instagram to share LNT tips on my Instagram each Tuesday and to encourage others to do the same.
Learn More About Leave No Trace
You can learn more about Leave No Trace at lnt.org, the website of the American-based Leave No Trace Centre for Outdoor Ethics or at LeaveNoTrace.ca, their Canadian counterpart.