Leave No Trace: The Logic Behind Some of the Rules

Leave No Trace is a shockingly controversial topic. Since 1994, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has been the defacto guideline for how to behave when recreating outdoors.

I recently saw an Instagram photo were the user was obviously violating LNT principles to set up a beautiful camp photo.

All photos by Will Rochfort

My first reaction was to get steamed. Why do people do this? Is it simply for the sake of a pretty photo?! I was debating saying something, but it’s not my style to be confrontational in the comments of somebody’s Facebook photo. And then I saw that I didn’t need to; others had already noticed the obvious problem.

“That doesn’t look like 100 feet from the water.”

“Technically you’re not supposed to camp that close to the lake. Just saying…”

But here is the kicker: instead of apologizing or acknowledging that he had done something incorrect, this guy instead said these three seemingly innocuous words: “OMG you people!” You know, like they were in the wrong.

I got irritated. It’s one thing to document your lack of knowledge; everyone makes mistakes. But to turn the tables and blame your followers– the ones who you are trying to impress–for being petty or ridiculous? That’s just silly.

I didn’t say anything and moved on with my life. You know, that whole wedding planning thing?! But I couldn’t let the stupid photo go. It bothered me. His reaction bothered me.

Why Do We Follow Leave No Trace Principles?

And then I came to the realization: perhaps people just don’t understand the logic behind Leave No Trace principles. I mean, think of it this way: when you were a kid and your mom told you to lay off the breakfast pancakes, you probably ignored her. But when you were puking all over the floor from eating yourself sick, you kinda understood her logic.

Amiright?

Maybe people just need to better understand the WHY of Leave No Trace to better follow it?

I’m no pro, but Will and I follow LNT policies to the best of our abilities. I’ll wager that we’re stricter in our adherence than 90% of our friends and relatives, if that gives you an idea. Sometimes we’re annoying but at the end of the tent-filled day, we just have Mother Nature’s best interests at heart!

Policy: No camping within 200 feet of a lake or stream

Naturally, I had to start with this one. Look, I get it: camping next to a lake is beautiful. You wake up to the shimmering water with birds skimming the surface and towering peaks reflecting in the pristine reflection. I’d love to camp right next to that too…if I wasn’t ruining it.

When you camp on riparian areas {near the river/lake banks} you are doing a serious number on the environment. Not only can you damage the delicate soils, but there is also a great chance that you will pollute the water supply with foreign substances. Who knows what plants and/or animals survive on that water supply; do you want to be the one to throw the ecosystem out of whack?

Policy: No fires in the backcountry

A few years back, we took two friends semi-winter backpacking down in the Sangres. It was cold, it was snowy and evening temps hovered around 20 degrees. When we told our friends that a fire wasn’t an option, they about threw us in the {frozen} lake!

But here’s the deal: fires do a lot of harm in the backcountry, regardless of how warm and cozy they feel at the time. If you’re on a five-night trip and you build a fire every night, you’ve just torched and scarred five different patches of earth. The damage caused to that particular plot of land will take a long time to recover. And if you’re camping at high altitudes where there is less resources and oxygen? It’ll take even longer that it would down in the trees.

That said, it can be okay to have a fire when you’re camping! If you’re camping at a designated site where a fire ring exists, have at it. Roast those s’mores, baby!

Policy: Pack it in, pack it out

In my experience, this one always seems like common sense to people until they realize how far it goes.

Imagine this scene: you’re all sitting around the camping lantern {because you don’t have a fire!}, enjoying conversation while munching on your dehydrated meal in a bag. You’ve eaten everything of substance from the bag: no more noodles, veggies or chunks of protein. All you have left is that super concentrated liquid that gathers at the bottom. Gross and nasty, you go to throw the liquid into the woods behind you…

….except that’s against LNT rules. You packed it in, right? Now you’ve got to pack that liquid right back out!

If you were to throw that liquid behind you, there is a good chance a critter would smell it and come sauntering over to investigate. If it’s a squirrel, you likely won’t notice him, but there is still a good chance your human food could damage his internal system. Or, if too many people scattered that soup, he could become reliant on it and start begging for more.

If it’s a larger animal, all of the above applies…except you’ll likely be terrified because you just drew a bear into your campsite!

There are a couple ways to get rid of that leftover soup that will comply with LNT rules: drink it or seal the bag shut and hope that it doesn’t burst open in your pack. In bear country, we tend to drink it, gagging all the while. This prevents odors from escaping the bag and attracting large animals.

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ETA: I’ve received quite a bit of feedback on this post. Most of it is positive although some is negative. There are a few things I’d like to clarify. First of all, as a reader suggested in the comments below, these are not the ONLY reasons for these rules. For example, she mentioned that there are a myriad of other reasons not to have a backcountry fire, aside from those that I listed. She is right. There is more logic behind these policies; for more info, please go to the Leave No Trace website.

Secondly, a few vocal people obviously disagree with LNT and believe that I am “self righteous” and “arrogant” in telling people what to do. Guys, I didn’t create the idea of LNT; I just follow it. One reader went so far as to cull through old outdoor photos of me, trying to identify specific instances where I didn’t follow LNT myself. The bottom line is this: LNT is tricky but the main takeaway is to leave as minimal trace as possible. These policies help most people do that, but don’t always apply. As I discussed in a comment below, outdoors people may have to choose between two terrible options and certain areas may have their own specific set of rules {i.e. in Gates of the Arctic, we were asked to camp right on the river because it was stone, rather than the soft, mushy tundra area.} To me, it’s not about being a “visitor at a museum” versus a “participant in nature.” It’s about ensuring nature is there for future generations, even in the most well-populated areas.

Lastly, let’s not call people names. I don’t censor comments or block comments {although it may take awhile for yours to appear if you are a new commenter as I have to “approve” names who haven’t commented before}, but I’d appreciate it if people could disagree in a civil manner. We all have different opinions; that’s what makes the world go ’round. But mocking and disrespecting people is just not cool. Thanks!

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