Megan Nisbet: Outside Reading #2 4/29/08 Lecture

The "Leave No Trace" topic of yesterday's lecture interested me, and I decided to read further on it. I found a website that was sponsored by an organization called Tread Lightly! and came upon a page that listed responsible hiking strategies for leaving as little trace as possible, which expand upon and restated what we have been learning through the entire semester. As said in many classes, when people enter the wilderness, they are entering the home of the animals that live there, and should make as little of an impact on the wilderness as possible--they should be merely visitors, and not make a permanent mark on the land. As stated in class yesterday, the "Leave no Trace" ethic says that fires should have as little of an impact as possible, waste should be disposed of appropriately, and footprints and damage to vegetation can last for decades or centuries, and should therefore be left to a minimum.

The website I read confirms and expands upon the information we have learned in class. It confirms that trials should be followed, even when muddy, because it will create erosion in other areas as well then. A solution to muddy and bog areas that has been talked about in class has been the bog bridges that are simply made of planks of wood that help to protect the area from erosion. When following a trail, hikers should walk in single file, so they will not widen the trail from erosion, which creates more of an impact. Also, in open country where there are no signs of trails, hikers should disperse and not walk near each other, as this may eventually create trails where there were none before. Hikers should also conscientious about other hikers on the trail, and should keep noise levels down, and be generally considerate of the others on the trail with them.

In addition to the ethic of the wilderness area in which hikers encounter, they should also be responsible for themselves in case they are injured on their hike. Tread Lightly! suggests that hikers carry a compass, and let others who are not hiking, or may be hiking separately from their group know their hiking goals, so they can be concerned if the group does not show up near their goal time. Appropriate footwear and outerwear should be worn for the hike. A hiker should always have water and a jacket on hand, even if the hike is supposed to be a short one. Weather conditions can change suddenly, especially in high altitudes, which can become very dangerous for the hikers. Also, if hikers are planning on backpacking for a period of time, their pack should not be more than 1/3 of their own weight.

This site turned out to be a great resource for expanding upon the knowledge I gained from class!