One of the things that is so important to me when we’re hiking is the concept of “leave it better than you found it”. It isn’t simply enough to not trash places to call it ‘hiking responsibly’, especially as the number of visitors to our public lands have exponentially risen over the last few years. The National Parks alone received over 300 million visitors in 2022 annually and that doesn’t include national forests, state parks and BLM lands! Our Instagram feeds used to be inundated with photos of cafes, cityscapes and cultural sites and it seems that more and more they’re filled with reels of hiking trails and photos of summit overlooks. Post-pandemic, I feel we’ve all seen the physical and mental benefits of being outside as much as possible, but we need to be sure that we protect what we love.
How We Leave It Better Than We Found It – Hiking Responsibly
These are simple ways in which we lessen our own waste, remove our own waste and even the waste of other hikers while we’re on the trails. Hiking responsibly doesn’t have to be hard and can sometimes just simply become second nature.
Pack it In, Pack it Out
We’ve all heard this phrase. Sometimes I think people associate it more with camping, but it’s just as crucial with hiking. Even on a super short day hike, we can create waste. If you’ve packed a snack, a picnic, or a drink that can create waste. Don’t simply throw waste on the ground, even if it’s perceived to be biodegradable.
Sustainable tip: I buy a lot of bulk items and single pack them into reusable containers which produces significantly less waste, like Stasher bags or Rubbermaids. These things also easily fit into our day packs. Also, don’t forget your reusable water bottles. We love these because they fit in our pack pockets and they’re easy to clean!
If it Doesn’t Grow There, It Doesn’t Belong There
There is a common misconception that you can throw food scraps on the ground to let it biodegrade. But here’s the deal, if it doesn’t grow there, it doesn’t belong there. There are many reasons for this: 1, it actually can take quite some time to decompose. 2, it draws animals to parking areas, roads or even trails depending on where you’ve dropped your apple core, banana peel or whatever it was. 3, these things are likely not part of the animal’s natural diets. Because of this, they can have digestive issues. 4, if there are seeds in part of the food that you threw out, these can germinate and cause non-native (sometimes invasive) plants to grow. So, no matter the trash when hiking responsibly, pack it in, pack it out.
Pick Up Others’ Trash
This can take a bit of planning, and should be done safely. Obviously, be careful picking up things that are glass or could contain blood or bodily fluids. But if you see a water bottle or snack wrapper a long a trail, definitely don’t hesitate to pick those up. I designate a pocket in my pack or sometimes will bring a bag to put trash in, especially if we go out specifically for a trail cleanup.
Clean Up After Your Dogs While Hiking Responsibly
This is something that a lot of people don’t think about, or they simply don’t want to carry their smelly dog poo out, because they assume it will biodegrade. While this is technically true, it can also spread disease, draw wildlife to the trails and be a source of nutrients to wildlife that aren’t, or at least shouldn’t be a norm. For the love of nature, though, please do not bag your dog’s poo in a bag and then freaking leave it in a tree or on the ground, even if it’s in a biodegradable poo bag. We have a favorite trail where we see this all the time and it is enraging! Now there’s not only poo, but also a plastic bag that is just going to sit there for many, many years.
How We Leave No Trace when Hiking Responsibly
These are ways we interact with nature and our surroundings while trying to practice hiking responsibly. It’s about so much more than just not leaving trash behind.
Don’t Deface Nature or Cultural Sites
I can’t even remember the first time I saw a heart with initials carved into a tree or a rock, that’s how commonplace this practice has become. But in reality, it’s just destruction and graffiti. For trees, it can even be harmful. It’s an especially unethical thing to do to old cultural sites like petroglyphs.
Don’t Make Your Own Cairns
Cairns, or stacked rocks, are used to mark trails on paths with as little impact as possible. However, stacking these stones has become a popular activity in places where there are rocks, especially rivers. In these habitats, falling rocks can be harmful to the species that live there, which a lot of people don’t think of. Also, stacking cairns can mislead hikers who are looking for them to mark their trails.
Don’t Interact with Wildlife
I think most people have failed at this at some point in their lives until they become educated on the topic. I remember feeding Cheetos to cute little chipmunks at Crater Lake National park as a young teenager. However, I was only thinking of how cute they are, not the implications of this. Interacting with animals whatever the size, whatever the species should be avoided. Don’t approach animals, they could be dangerous – especially species that parks warn about, like bears, mountain lions, snakes, bison, etc. Don’t feed animals, as it makes them conditioned to come around humans and can be harmful to digestive systems, as I mentioned above.
Stay on Designated Trails
When you’re hiking where there are designated trails, stay on those trails. This helps lessen the human impact to these natural areas. It absolutely keeps native plant life and wildlife safer.
Prepare for When Nature Calls While Hiking Responsibly
If you have to use the “panoramic toilet” while you’re hiking there are a few things you need to know. Be sure you’re at least 200 feet away from water sources so you don’t contaminate a natural source of water. Pack out or bury toilet paper – if you plan to bury it, specifically use proper tp, like Better Way. If you need to #2 on the trail, be sure to bury it.
Ways to Prepare for an Environmentally Friendly Hike
There are things you can do even before leaving for your hike that impact the environment. There are some simple things you can do that make your hike a little more “green”.
Purchase Sustainable Hiking Gear
There are many mainstream and smaller hiking brands that have products made from recycled materials and/or are produced in an environmentally friendly manner. Before purchasing gear, though, be sure to do a few minutes of extra research on these products.
Things to look out for are bluesign®, Fair trade certificate, B Corps or even plug the brand into Good On You to check their rating.
Also, think of the life-span that your materials will have. Buying a higher-quality item vs. the cheapest thing you can find often leads to a longer life of each item. That also greatly reduces waste. We opt for high quality shoes, backpacks and water bottles so we don’t have replace them all the time.
Treat Your Hiking Gear Well
The other thing that allows you to expand the life of your gear is treating it well. Clean your items properly, make sure they’re dried and then store them properly. For example, don’t just throw boots at the bottom of a pile where they get smashed down, don’t leave water bottles half full of water where they get gross, or leave boots outside where they’re exposed to elements. Simple things that improve the life of gear will save you money and help save the planet too!
Obviously, we’re not perfect. We mess up knowingly and unknowingly every single day. We get busy and choose an easy option. We get off course on our sustainable journey and have to right ourselves again. It’s hard to stay on top of all the things, especially now that we’ve become parents. Here’s the thing, though, we need a million people doing sustainability imperfectly. Not one or two doing it perfectly.
What are things that you do while hiking that make being sustainable just a little easier for you? Give me all the tips! Or which item on here surprised you? Once upon a time, many things on this list would’ve surprised me!
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