Nature

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Be Careful What You Ask For

You just might get it.  Those moments when things come together are interesting.   When we cross over a line and something we’ve dreamed of doing becomes something we actually are doing.  In crossing that line we’re moving towards getting what we wanted, but now we are faced with the task of actually doing.

The other day I accidentally got my wife’s blessing to do the Long Trail in Vermont this Fall.  I say accidentally because I wasn’t even really thinking about going until we are able to do it together years from now.  Then it came up in conversation and she told me to go before I even really asked.  If I didn’t know it was love I’d think she was trying to get me out of the house, but offering to solo parent for a month while I’m out living my dreams is definitely love.

The first time I heard of the Long Trail I began to dream of walking it some day.  I didn’t think I ever actually would as I’m not really a thru hiker, but it sounded like my sort of adventure so a nice dream.  Officially 273 miles stretching from the Massachusetts border on the south to the Canadian border on the north the trail goes the length of Vermont.  Following the Green Mountains it is a long series of peaks and valleys getting peakier as you head north.

The AT joins the LT for the first hundred miles in southern Vermont.  This section sees much more traffic and once the AT heads off to NH and ME on its way to Katahdin the Long Trail continues on more lightly traveled.  As the trail heads towards Canada it becomes progressively more challenging.  Some folks like to do it in the other direction to get the hardest part out of the way first while others work their way up to those peaks training their legs as they go.

Along with crossing all of those mountains and valleys the trail passes near many small Vermont towns as well as some wonderful B&Bs and inns.  Most people will go into town every few days for resupply and many folks plan a day of resting and feasting at one or more of the inns.  My plan is somewhat different as I’d like to save those treats for a future trip on this trail with Mrs Stranger.   Traveling together seems to be the time to enjoy those niceties while this solo trip is better suited to something more challenging.

My plan is to do the entire trail end to end without resupply and without leaving the trail.  Any zero/low mile days, if I decide to take them, will be on a mountain rather than at an inn.  In fact I’m planning on avoiding using the shelters as much as possible in favor of setting up camp alone off the trail.   Despite the fact that this trail passes close to civilization often and the shelters can be social centers my intent is to make this a true escape from all of that as much is possible.

Now that this plan is in motion there are many things to consider.  How to carry enough food and fuel for 20 days or more?  How many cookies to bring?  Will I be tempted by inviting inns close enough to the trail that I can hear the clink of pint glasses?  Will I give in to that temptation?  Finding out the answers to all of these questions as well as many more is what this trip is all about.

To me getting out there has always been about questions and answers I guess.  What am I capable of in terms of body and spirit?  What is the view like from the top of that mountain?  Will it ever stop raining?  We have to be careful about the questions we ask ourselves too I guess.  I am anticipating more than a few nights alone in my tent filled with answers I can only hope I’m prepared for.  I guess that pretty much sums up my life though, hoping I’m prepared for the answers I find on the path less traveled by

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Leave No Trace Principles: Proper Waste Disposal

It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.  Proper waste disposal is the third of the LNT Principles and it involves stuff we’d all rather not think about or bother with, but if we don’t all do our part it can really make a mess of things out there.  Preparation again is key both in terms of what you bring with you and having a plan in advance.

There are really only three categories of waste to be concerned with; human, liquid  and everything else.  Part of preparation is knowing the area you’ll be visiting.  Of course you’ll want to know if they have any specific regulations regarding waste disposal but knowing the lay of the land will help you as well.

Oddly enough the “everything else” group is the easiest to figure out how to deal with.  Pack in/Pack out and you’re done.  If you aren’t willing to carry it with you when you leave then don’t take it out there.  Again preparation comes into play as you can change your behaviors to minimize the amount of waste produced.  Meals should be sized so they can be completely consumed.  Limiting odors is highly advised to avoid attracting wildlife.

Depending on your pack you’ll have to figure out the best way to carry your trash.  The container you use may vary depending on how you’ll carry it, but I find a large, one gallon zip bag works well for even extended trips.  I carry it in an outside mesh pocket just in case but there really is nothing to leak out even if it was to come open.  My daily trash output is wrappers from food bars I eat during the day and a quart freezer bag from my dinner.   I can easily carry a week’s worth of trash so long as I can choke down my entire dinner every night.  Some times I have to force myself to eat it all but not having to carry it is a good motivator.

Liquid waste is also pretty simple to figure out a plan for.  This is just water that you are using to wash gear or yourself and water used to prepare food but not consumed.  The goal here is to avoid contaminating the watershed.  Most every place will advise you dispose of waste water at least 200 feet from lakes, rivers and even dry washes.  That’s about 70 steps but better farther than not far enough.  Try to avoid using soaps as much as possible and screen water used to clean pots and dishes for food pieces which you can add to your carry out bag or bury in a cat hole.

Planning can again help to reduce the amount of waste produced.  I only boil water in my pot so it never needs to be cleaned and I eat right out of my dinner bag so I don’t have a dish to wash either.  I do my body cleaning with sanitary moistened wipes so there is no soap or waste water issue though I do of course have to carry the used wipes out.

That just leaves the human waste issue to deal with.  Something I talked about in relation to surface preservation applies here too; if there are existing high impact sites use them, if not disperse.  In this case that means if you have access to existing latrines along a trail take advantage of them when you can.  Concentrating human impact can be a bit distasteful in this case, but it is more easily mitigated this way assuming the managing authority has planned and maintained the site well.  If your trip takes you on a trail without such luxuries or you are off trail then try to spread your impact out by not using the same location twice.  Groups should coordinate to avoid creating clustered locations.

Liquid human waste requires no special steps other than the 70 or so needed to get the 200 feet away from water, camp or trail you should be.  Unless there are any special regulations or recommendations in place a cat hole is the accepted standard for solid human waste disposal.  A shallower hole of only about 4 inches is advised in hot dry climates with a few inches deeper advised for areas with wetter soils.  TP should be carried out rather than left behind and the hole filled back in when you are done.  Some alpine areas advise leaving human waste exposed on the surface for faster break down and to minimize surface damage.   One of the many reasons to research an area before heading out.

None of this is very complicated, but thinking about it ahead of time really makes a difference.  Then when you are out there adventuring it helps to keep looking for things you could eliminate or do differently to make it easier on yourself to do the right things.   I know my garbage bags used to be a lot heavier at the end of a trip, but now they are much more manageable.

So give it some thought before your next trip.  Then give it some thought while you are out there.  How can you make it easier on yourself to do the right things.  What can you do a little differently that might make a big difference on the path less traveled by?

IMG_1393aEn plein air is not just for painting as this beauty shows.  Building it facing the camp site might have taken things too far though.

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Camping Weather

What comes to mind when you think of camping weather?  Sunny days?  Starry nights? Blizzards, gale force winds and pounding rains?  Maybe it is just me, but that last group is what I think of.  It probably started out of necessity because  it seems that most every trip coincides with some major meteorological event.  My early camping memories are of the sound of fat raindrops on canvas tents.  The smell of wet canvas still comes easily to mind despite the many years because it filled those tents both small and large long after they had dried.

My tents have gotten a lot less smelly and a lot less leaky over the years not to mention a lot lighter.  My clothing and sleep system have also come a long way from my first Smokey Bear sleeping bag and the days of blue jeans and t-shirts.   As my gear and methods have improved weather has gone from being something to avoid to something to get out into.  If I know 8 inches of rain are going to fall I’m going to stay home rather than risk my life in a flood, but I’m not about to let the average storm keep me off the trail and sometimes I make a point of getting out into the more exciting forms of weather.

Weather has to be respected of course.  You may have noticed one of the few links to the right leads to the .gov weather site.  Their tools allow you to get spot forecasts based on specific GPS coordinates which take elevation into account.  Elevation changes weather a lot at times so going by the local airport forecast may be very misleading if you are headed to a mountain top.

I have many of my favorite spots bookmarked so I can easily get an idea of what to expect if I head out.  Of course just because the forecast says something before you leave doesn’t mean that is what will happen.  If you are heading into the back country it only makes sense to come prepared for a wide range of weather surprises.  It also helps if you can learn to read weather patterns so what happens next is less of a surprise even if the forecast is wrong.

There’s just something both exhilarating and comfortably relaxing about being out there in foul weather and knowing that you are just fine.  The sound of rain or snow on a tent is magical as far as I’m concerned.  While a flapping tent can be annoying the majestic roar of a big piece of air moving past or just near by, even if it jolts you awake, is an exhibition of nature to be savored.  Yes a perfect sunset is perfect and a starry night is one of the best reasons to drag your butt up a mountain, but I think so long as I don’t take a whiner along with me, foul weather is just fine by me.

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Living what I preach I headed out the other night into a minor blizzard.  Setting up camp in gale force winds after stomping through close to a foot of fresh snow was interesting to be sure.  I got lucky on my wind direction guess and though the lee side was flapping like a loose sail I didn’t have any drifting from under the fly.  Not bad for a three season tent set up in the middle of a storm without using a lantern.

IMG_2397aThe snow turned to sleet about the time I got the tent up and a couple of hours later turned to freezing rain for a while.  My old TNF bomber rides out pretty much any weather but using my hiking poles to set up deadmen and setting up stern to the wind with some snow prepacked on that side seemed like a good idea.  There was some tremendous roaring going on out there but things were pretty calm inside.

IMG_2399aThere wasn’t a lot of ice build up in the morning but enough to make me glad I was only out for one night.  I set up the stove outside the front door and had my cocoacino before I got out of bed.  My footprints from the night before were hard to follow in spots and completely gone in others.

Now they say another potential big storm is coming tonight.  I think my gear is dried out but I’m not sure if my legs have recovered from postholing through the deep snow.  Oh well, nobody said it would be easy, but there is plenty of  adventure to be found on the path less traveled by

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Everything In Its Place

“One of these days I’m gonna get organizized” is how Travis Bickle put it in Taxi Driver.  These late Winter days give us a great chance to rethink, or perhaps really think for the first time, about how we organize our pack. I’ve talked before about Situational Awareness in a general sense and this is a concrete example of that.  Knowing where your gear is when you need it can literally be a life saver.

The first part of knowing where to find your stuff is actually pretty simple in theory at least.  If you always put things where they belong they will be there when you need them.  This is one of those things that is easy to say but much harder to do.  There are really only two places an item should be; in its storage place or in use.  In the real world there is a third place which is where you set it “just for a second” while you grab something else.  This is fine so long as you keep track and of course isn’t fine when you realize the next night that you’ve left your stove or water filter, or god forbid both, miles behind on the other side of a mountain or three.  That’s why I try to resist that urge to set things down and take the extra time to tuck them away where I’ll expect to find them later.

OK, but where do things belong?  That is the second part of knowing where to find your stuff and the only person qualified to answer that question is you.  The key to this step is developing a system so you have one to follow back there in step one.  There are some basic concepts to keep in mind and some things you’ll probably want to avoid, but ultimately it comes down to what works best for you.  The type of pack you  are using and type of gear you carry may have an impact on your choices as well so what works on one type of trip may need to be altered as things change.

Keeping the weight centered and close to the spine will help with balance and fatigue.  If the load is shifted too high you become top heavy which means you will be fighting your load more than you need to and risk losing your balance on trail.  If the load is shifted too low or away from the spine it will put a strain on your shoulders as the pack  pulls your whole body backwards.  That can be especially dangerous on steep climbs but even on level ground forces you to work harder to carry your load.

It can help to think of your pack in terms of thirds when considering balance.  Split horizontally the top and bottom should be lighter with the center containing the heaviest items by volume.  Split vertically the left and right sides should be lighter with the center again holding items with the most mass.  If you have heavier items that make sense to carry in a zone outside the center try to counterbalance with additional weight on the opposing side.

When looking at how I use the things I carry with me I also find it can be useful to think in terms of thirds.  Dividing things by when and how I use them lets me group them together and prioritize access to them logically.  I put shelter and sleep system in one group, food, fuel and mess kit in another with clothes and incidentals in the third.

Shelter and sleep system are only used in camp so they don’t need to be easily accessed on trail.  They also are relative low weight items so work well as the bottom third of your pack.  Some packs have a specific compartment for this at the bottom.  Even if your pack doesn’t you can just load these items first.  You can loosely pack them to maximize space or use stuff sacks but keep your expected water exposure in mind.  You’ll need to keep your sleep system dry for it to work properly and you may have to put your tent away wet if drying isn’t an option so dry sacks or plastic bags may be a good idea.

Food, fuel and cooking equipment tend to be some of the heaviest items people carry.  These things generally aren’t used on the trail unless you are stopping for a hot lunch or taking hot beverage breaks on a Winter trek.  That along with their density makes the center of the pack a good place for them.  Spreading items around can allow you to maximize space but storing food in a stuff sack or using nested mess gear make it easier to take things out of the pack when you need access.  I prefer the latter approach so smaller items aren’t swimming towards the depths of my bag.

The upper third and outer pouches of my pack I use for clothes and incidentals.  I have a primary dry sack that holds my strategic reserve; sleep wear, sleep socks, extra trail socks and usually an emergency sweater or fleece depending on conditions.  These are clothes I don’t expect to need to access on trail and are very important to keep dry.  If everything else fails and all my other clothing is soaked this is the stuff that will save my butt.  This sack also serves as my pillow with varied results depending on how fully stuffed it is.  Clothes that might be needed on trail are either on top of the main compartment or in external pouches for fast access depending on how likely I think they’ll be needed.

Keeping things you might need on trail in places you can reach easily means you are more likely to use them.  My regular pack has belt pouches that I make good use of.  One side has three Clif bars and hard candy which I can access without breaking stride.  The other side has my bug dope, head net, sun screen and lip balm all of which again can be in my hand without stopping if I want.  Being able to access them easily means I don’t wait until it is too late to add some fuel or put on sunscreen.  I use a water bladder and tube for the same reason; easy access means it gets used.

The top lid pouch on my pack contains small but important items such as my lantern, first aid kit, maps, sanitary wipes, a small spindle of string and another of paracord.  These pouches are easy to access on trail as well as in camp so perfect for corralling smaller items and anything you can’t afford to waste time looking for like the first aid kit  or light source.  The side pouches on my pack work great for longer items so I put my tent pole in one along with my fishing rod while the other side holds my rain gear.

Once you come up with a system and stick to it for a while it really doesn’t take much effort to keep it up.  The benefits keep coming though.  Whether you are throwing together a pack for a last minute trip and don’t forget anything or find yourself getting out on the trail faster in the morning because your hands seem to know where to put everything even before the instant coffee kicks in, it really helps to have a little bit of organizization.

So that is a bit on how I do it and my thoughts behind it, but really that isn’t what is important.  What matters is that you have a chance now to think about how you do it.   Are there things that you might want to rethink?  A little thought now can take us a long way on the path less traveled by.

DSC00479aThis young man didn’t have the most organizized of packs but he enjoyed taunting me by ducking under blow downs I can’t dream of limboing under any more.

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Some Things Can’t Be Rushed

IMG_2392aThe extended January thaw offered much appreciated respite from this Winter’s frequent bouts of arctic chill.  A thaw like that is a double edged sword though it seems.  It gives us a break from the emotional and physical clenching that comes with below zero temps, but in that loosening we give up some of the firmness that allows us to maintain our resolve.

Sometimes a lull can make us feel like the worst is behind us even when we know better.  The eye of a big wind producing storm, the slight lessening of the grade in the middle of a long climb or in this case a long mid-winter thaw all can lead us to let down our mental guard.  It is a very human thing to hope though I can only imagine animals do it too.

Such hope can be dangerous though if embraced too fully and then found to be false.  The flock of robins in these pictures appeared near the end of the thaw.  Likely following the warm air north they had enough time to get this far before Winter closed back in around them.  Now their hope of an early Spring appears to have turned into a resolve not to freeze to death before it gets here.   They are in almost constant motion, flitting from branch to branch in effort to keep warm.

We people too felt some of that hope of Spring and now perhaps to spite the lingering Winter or perhaps flitting about to keep warm like the robins, activities seem to be on the rise.  I am seeing more and more of this year’s thru hikers talking of their plans, finalizing their gear and counting the days until they start their migrations northward.   Much like the robins, getting carried away with hope and heading north too early can lead to getting caught in the snow unexpectedly.

Even once the snow is gone patience is still something I try to hold on to.  The mud season here in Maine is a terrible time to be on trail.  No matter how warm the sun or how sweet the air trying to get out there too early can do a lot of damage to the trails.  A few days of slick mud trail can do a lot of mental as well as physical damage to us as well.

Winter will turn to Spring, snow will turn to mud and eventually the trails will dry out just in time for the black flies to come out…each when they are ready.  Our need to hurry them along won’t change them a bit though the stress of it might change us.   Better to go with the flow of nature than to try to fight it.  Let it be as it is now and enjoy each day of each season for what it is.

Of course I admit I have trips planned and unplanned I’m looking forward to.   The anticipation is bittersweet like the smell of Thanksgiving turkey an hour before its done.  It is far too early to let the excitement carry us away, but it is never too early to dream.  I’ll bide my time and try to remember that some things can’t be rushed in life and especially on the path less traveled by

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Leave No Trace Principles: Use Durable Surfaces

The second of the Leave No Trace principles is all about minimizing our impact on the surfaces of the areas we pass through on our adventures.  This would seem to be the most obvious of considerations when thinking about reducing our mark on the land.  Often there is actual visible evidence that is left behind, but there are a lot of other things to keep in mind which you might not have thought about before.

Preparation before you go is as always important and it plays a big role again here.  Knowing as much as possible about your intended route, what environments you’ll pass through both generally and any especially sensitive, will help you plan ahead to minimize your impact.   You’ll definitely want to be aware of any local regulations.  The gear you bring and how you use it come into play so you need information to make the right choices.  I guess that is why the first LNT principle was Preparation.

Impact while traveling is important to think about even on a day hike, but when backpacking becomes even more important.  The heavier load means every step has greater potential to do damage.  If at all possible it is better to follow existing trails.  By concentrating activity to a smaller area the over all impact is lessened and can be mitigated.  Conversely when a trail is not available it is better to spread out and disperse your group’s impact.

When on a trail you should stick to the trail as closely as possible.  Things like cutting corners on switchbacks or walking on banks to the side of a trail to avoid a wet center not only create damage as you pass, but the trace of your passing will encourage others to follow you off trail.  If bog boards are available they should be used even when the ground is dry unless a well worn path exists beside them.  Even when hiking on rock above the treeline sticking to the trail is best as lichen and other organisms living on alpine rocks grow very very slowly.

Only when an area does not already have trail access should you consider traveling off trail. If you are hiking off trail you now have an extra task to be mindful of.  Being off trail means making an effort not to create a new trail.  Your goal should be to leave so little sign of your passing that another person would not be drawn to follow your path. If traveling in a group dispersing and avoiding following the same exact path helps.  Never slash or paint blazes and if using so called “eco” tape to mark a return path take the time to remove it on your way out.

Impact when you stop needs to be considered as well.  This includes breaks along the trail, nature calls and overnight camps.  The same basic  concepts above apply here.  If there are existing areas of high impact use them.  If there are none then leave so little trace of your use that another passing by would not be drawn to choose this spot over any other.  High use areas often have designated campsites and while they are often less than pristine they do focus the damage in areas that can best be maintained.   Some areas require you to only camp in designated sites for this reason and if such rules exist should always be followed.

Again, if you are camping in totally unimproved areas your goal should be to leave no sign of your campsite when you leave so that others would not be drawn to use the same spot.  This starts with choosing a good spot with more durable surfaces preferred.  If rock, dirt or sand are available such surfaces should be your first choice.  If you must camp on vegetation, grasses are usually the most resilient.  When staying in an area for more than one night it can help to relocate your camp each day.  As you break camp a fallen branch or trekking pole can be used to help flattened vegetation start standing back up.

In lesser used areas you’ll really want to consider how you use your camp, especially as group size expands.  Nature calls, wood gathering, water collecting and just general puttering around camp can lead to a lot of footsteps.  Dispersing again is very useful so try to spread your impact out.  Try not to take the same path each time you are headed to the same place and think about how you can reduce trips.  Water collection is a good example.  You can make one trip and fill a large reservoir rather than multiple trips for smaller amounts or if making multiple trips then try taking a different route each time.

So much depends on exactly where you are headed that these basics are enough to get you started, but if you really want to get serious about LNT expect to do a little extra research before you head out on a day hike or extended trip.  Some places are so fragile that a footstep’s damage can take 100 years or more to repair so knowing whats out there before you go is vital.  Get out there, enjoy all nature has to offer and give a little thought to leaving your path looking a little less traveled by

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Not Shopping Season In Full Swing

Mid-Winter through early Spring is a time I call “Not Shopping Season”  The days are getting a little longer and the sun is riding higher above the horizon.  The senses begin to feel a hint of the Spring to come even though it is months away.  The mind starts to imagine the adventures it will open the door to.  A season of hope to be sure, but there is a dark undercurrent to this time of year.

Not Shopping Season is the time of year when all things seem possible; short trips, long trips, new places and old…and what to bring on these trips‽  With time to think, read, talk, argue and laugh about gear with like-minded folk this time of year can be treacherous indeed.  Lurking around every corner is another wonderful item that would be perfect for this Summer’s dreamt of adventures.

It doesn’t matter that the item isn’t really needed.  It doesn’t matter that you already have something similar.  What matters is action and if you can’t apply your energy toward moving down the trail then buying trail gear will be just the thing!  The item comes, is unboxed with great joy, tested in the living room or back yard and then since you still can’t hit the trail…the cycle begins again!

Understanding the time of year and myself well enough I make an effort to fight these instincts.   I remind myself that when I’m puffing my way to the top of a steep climb I rarely am thinking “If only I had more gear with me!”  I also keep in mind that if I spend a lot of money on fancy new gear I won’t have money for fuel and supplies to actually go anywhere.

So this is the season of trying not to buy things.  So far I’ve done very well, but lately I’ve been slipping a bit.  Nothing for me, but I’ve been thinking Mrs Stranger needs a new pack for this year.  Well and her sleeping bag isn’t very well suited for trail use so it may be time to get that double quilt we’d talked about.  Of course our daughter will need bigger trail shoes this year and…

Yes, the Not Shopping Season is in full swing here.  It is good to have a sense of humor about these things I think.  We are human after all and people are pretty funny if you are paying attention.  Good to be honest about our silliness with ourselves at least.   So we weather our Winter months in good spirits, dreaming of days to come on the path less traveled by

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Little Acorns

Living things tend to start out as a sprout.  Small and fragile, but filled with all the potential of life itself.  What sort of world they start out in often makes an impact on how they grow and develop.  If things are too rough they may not mature properly or even survive.  If things are too easy they may not be tough enough to handle the rest of what life throws at them.  This applies to trees in the forest, lettuce in the garden and just as surely to children.

I was working on another Leave No Trace post for today, but my daughter was taking up most of my attention all morning.  Rather than let that be a problem I took it under advisement and decided to make this post about her too.  Well, not just her, but kids in general and how important it is to get them out there into the world.  What they experience as youngsters will be a foundation for everything else they experience in life.   Less screen time in favor of getting out there and seeing the real world can only be a good thing in the long run.

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Giving them a foundation based on a love and respect of nature, a sense of self sufficiency, self challenge, good nutrition and fitness is probably one of the best things we can do for the next generations.  The lure of flashing light and sound draws them to TV and computer screens effortlessly.  So much so that parents seem happy to use these things as electronic pacifiers.  Later life will likely teach them to be too busy to notice the beauty of life all around them as they rush about doing important things.  If we don’t make an effort to help them learn to devote some of their focus to the world around them they may go through life without even noticing it.  That seems sad for them and dangerous for the world.

We took our daughter on her first camping trip before she could walk.  Once she started walking she began taking us on daily trips around the block and now is always asking to go for a walk in the woods or up the hill.  It is hard to say if we are a good influence on her or she on us, but as a family we make getting outside an important part of our life.

Choosing to get out there together whether for a day hike, car camping or backpacking is great, but it comes with some serious responsibilities.   Safety is of course the number one focus so you have a responsibility to be prepared.  Being prepared will also give you a chance to demonstrate good stewardship of the lands you visit.  The younger folk we lead out there will learn from our actions more than our words, so we have a responsibility to lead them well.

If you have kids give some thought as to what you are teaching them about their world.  (If you don’t you may have family or friends who do or perhaps you might consider volunteering to work with kids who need adult role models.) Think about what you want them to know is important to you.  Then maybe think about finding a path somewhere you can walk together while you can.  Soon enough they’ll be choosing their own paths and ours sadly will be less traveled by

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January Refreeze

The thaw has given way to Winter once more.  Everything started moving again there for a few days but now that is over.  Things will stick where they are now for a while, but I try to keep moving to avoid that fate.  I pulled on my hiking boots and did a five mile loop that crossed the river twice.  Felt good to be in my walking shoes instead of the big insulated boots.  The temp was about 0°f when I set out but I kept up a good pace and wasn’t bothered other than the ice in my beard.

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Some open water remains but won’t last long.

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The ice on the dam is amazing to see.

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It forms from water in motion and leaves behind solid shapes that hold that motion in place.

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It lets you see movement in ways you can’t unless it is held still.

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No thousand word essay today.  Such a nice walk in the cold Winter sun has left me feeling quieter.  If these pics don’t do the trick for you then by all means get out there and find yourself a path to travel today

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Leave No Trace Principles: Preparation

Preparation is the first of the seven principles of Leave No Trace for a reason.  What you do before you head out into the wilderness sets the stage for what you will do when you are out there.  This extends far beyond LNT.  All aspects of an adventure are impacted greatly by what we have or haven’t done before we left home.  Being prepared leads to having a better and safer experience so even if you aren’t that concerned about LNT it’s still a pretty good idea.

Preparation begins with knowing the area you will be traveling in.  That knowledge needs to extend far beyond just the trail names or camp site locations.   Only by knowing the details of the terrain, elevation and water courses can you determine what equipment will be needed, what pace can be expected along with primary and alternate camp sites.   Being aware of who controls the area and what regulations are in place is a must.

Another very important feature of a location is its weather.  While you can’t bank on a long range forecast studying up on what is considered normal and recent history will give you some insights into what you may run into.  It is a good idea to also get some idea of the possible extremes because weather is rarely normal heh.

Knowing your gear on a detailed level is another cornerstone of preparation.  It helps you decide what to bring on a trip and how to use it when you are out there.  You don’t want surprises in the back country and certainly not in the form of broken gear or worse, injuries.  Being very familiar with your gear has other benefits as well.  If you read about my recent overnight in the snow you may have noticed that I made it through the entire night without breaking out my lantern.  I knew where all of my gear was stored, how to unpack it and set up my camp and get ready for bed all pretty much by feel.  When I go to get something out of my pack I rarely use my eyes even in daylight as my hands know where to “look”.

The semi-official Leave No Trace folks over at lnt.org include concepts like smaller group sizes and trying to travel during off season dates in their preparation focus.  I don’t travel with large groups and am always trying to get away from where the people are so these don’t really come into play for me, but they may for you depending on who you go with and where you go.  More people traveling the same area means not only more impact on the land but less time for it to recover.

One thing they don’t seem to stress enough I feel is fitness though they do mention assessing skills during planning.  No amount of research and planning can make up for a body that isn’t up to the requirements of a trip.  If you’ve got money to throw around you can always get better gear but that doesn’t work for fitness.  The only way to be sure your body will be ready when you need it is to train it in measure with what you expect to ask of it.  This becomes ever more important as you age, trust me heh.

Now other than the obvious part about group sizes you might be wondering what all of this preparation has to do with Leave No Trace.  Yes, it is all good common sense advice but how does it lessen the impact we have on an area?  By being prepared for what you encounter you greatly reduce the risks of making mistakes which can lead to  damage to vegetation and terrain, injuries or perhaps worst of all a search and rescue operation.

When people are cold, wet and/or hungry they can make poor choices which can result in needless damage.  Harming vegetation to create emergency shelter and fire damage are big noticeable forms of impact but there can be many smaller ones as well.  Once people begin to lose control of their situation they are less likely to focus on their impact as survival becomes the imperative.  Being prepared is a big help for both staying in control and surviving with the happy by product of helping us to keep our impact to a minimum on the path less traveled by.

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I have added a “Leave No Trace” category to make it easier to locate posts in this series via the menu at the right.