Leave No Trace; Low or No Impact Camping; Take only Pictures, Leave only Footprints... Regardless of how you might describe it, this concept is the most important SKILL when it comes to camping and bushcraft.
Online challenges are all the rage these days. The good old Ice Bucket Challenge, the Show Me Your Steak Challenge, the hilarious Mannequin Challenge, or the Eat It or Wear It Challenge.
Bushcrafters and campers alike, I have a special challenge just for you!
"Take only pictures, leave only footprints".
"Take only pictures, leave only footprints". This is perhaps the most important principle for all campers to remember. But it appears that for some irresponsible people, their own pleasure takes priority over conservation of the Nature.
A while ago, I came across online a series of photos of a camp site in Algonquin Park, which is a gorgeous place in Ontario, Canada. Instead of beautiful forests and lovely lakes, however, I saw only trees after trees cut down and the ground tramped and devastated for the construction of a bushcraft shelter. It is quite plain who the culprits were.
At another time, I went camping with a friend and we stumbled upon a campsite, though a “battlefield” would be more accurate, that was covered in trash and burned beer cans. And this wasn’t the only case.
The stupidity that those inconsiderate people show is clearly a big problem but apparently we are looking at the wrong solution.
For some reason, some people blame content creators, or Youtubers, for calling attention to untouched places of wonder in their videos, thus enabling reckless campers to go there and spoil the landscape.
This isn’t a strong argument because stupid campers predate Youtube by a wide margin (and they will probably outlive it just as much). Besides, it can be even argued that thanks for Youtubers, people become aware of the beautiful places on Earth that are rarely talked about by mass media. Without us, you might never know that such places existed and make an effort to protect them. In fact, most content creators are very committed to the conservation of the nature.
Leave No Trace Principles
You can choose which type of person to become. A careless camper leaving destruction in their wake or a responsible bushcrafter enjoying a trip in harmony with Mother Nature?
If you are good enough to be the latter, I would like to invite you to take the Leave No Trace Challenge. All you need to do is to follow these simple principles to reduce the negative impact of your next (and future) trips on the environment:
- Plan ahead and prepare: learn carefully about the regulations and concerns about the terrains, extreme weather, etc. for the area you want to travel to.
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces: You should only follow established trails and available campsites. In other words, it is best to find a campsite, not to make one.
- Dispose of our waste properly: pack out everything you have packed in.
- Leave what you find: The wild plants and mossy stones can make a great memento of your trip but unfortunately, you shouldn’t bring them home. Besides, don’t build any structures or trench around your tent.
- Minimize campfire impacts: use established fire rings and keep your fire just big enough for your needs. (Having a fire box stove is a great idea, too.)
- Respect wildlife: never feed wildlife and give them their space.
- Be considerate to others: not really about nature conservation but still a good point.
I encourage you to find out more about Leave No Trace and I challenge you to do your part.