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Leave No Trace
- Lea Appleton
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
I've just received my instructor certification from Leave No Trace!
And I'm excited to share the 7 Principles and why they matter to me. As I learned about these during the training and as I consider how I try to live them in my wilderness (and not so wilderness) experiences, I find that they are far less about following a rule and much more about being respectful and participating in outdoor activities with an ethic of care. I also find that they often translate nicely as metaphors for the workplace environments, too!
The Leave No Trace (LNT) principles offer ways for you to play in and experience the outdoors that help you, others, the wildlife, and the natural world be as safe as possible.
Let me tell you why these are important to me.
Plan Ahead and Prepare
Planning is part of the fun of an outdoor adventure for me. I get out maps, set itineraries, make a list of things I want to see or places I want to be sure I visit when I am out and about. Planning also keeps me safe and comfortable. Preparation is almost as fun as the planning because it is the next step of getting ready for a trip and signals to me that I am getting closer to the start of it. Check out my post on the 10 Essentials for things to remember to bring on any outdoor adventure. The preparation helps me be sure that I when I am up a creek, I've got my paddle—and if something happens to my paddle, I have a back-up plan!
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Durables surfaces are the places outside that can handle people walking on them—usually that means rocks, dirt, sand, or places where dead leaves or needles have accumulated. It's not places where things are growing like grasses, flowers, etc. though are tempting especially when imagining a softer place to lay your head at night. But squishing the vegetation means it will have a harder time surviving too many tents, so better to bring along a comfy sleeping pad and stick to the durable surface. When you aren't able to find a durable surface anywhere, if you're with others just spread out so footsteps and tents aren't all bunched together in one spot.
Dispose of Waste Properly
"Pack it in, pack it out," is the motto here. And this goes for food waste, too. It's not just so that things are not left to decompose over long periods of time, leaving unsightly leftovers for all to see. It's also so that animals aren't tempted to eat human food, which isn't good for them or their survival. Plus it leaves trails and campsites nice for the next visitor. In LNT instructor training, everyone gets to research and teach part of a principle. My assignment? Human waste disposal. Depending on where you are outside, there are different methods of managing this, but it almost always includes packing out TP. For more info and all the details on how to wash dishes safely, dig catholes for poop, or what to do with menstrual products visit this LNT link.
Leave What You Find
While I am all for the gift shop at a National Park, collecting souveniers from the wild places is not a sustainable practice. Another motto here is, "take only photos, leave only footprints." This principle is also there for both the flora and fauna of a given location as well as for the humans who will visit after you. In the US, for the National Parks and Monuments, there are on average over 300 million visitors a year. That number alone helps explain what might happen if everyone just took one tiny rock home with them.
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Living in Southern California makes me more cognizant of the dangers of wildfires. Each year, there are forests and increasingly populated communities that burn, often with tragic loss of life of people and wildlife. The easiest way to minimize impact of campfire is to not burn one, but lots of us have that as part of a camping experience. To keep everyone safe, always use an established fire ring in a campsite. Additionally, know how to build and put out a fire. In California, we're actually required to do a simple online training before building a campfire or even using a portable stove. Anyone can access the free training here.
Respect Wildlife
The best way to respect wildlife is to watch from afar. If you remember that principle, then you don't need to remember that touching, feeding, and in some cases just getting too close are off limits. Like other LNT principles, this is for the safety of the wildlife themselves to help them not become acclimated to human contact (especially as a food source), but also for our own personal safety. The cute marmot isn't a pet. And we've all read stories about people who wanted to get a photo with a bison in Yellowstone, not to mention people just wanting a close-up pic of that rattlesnake.
Be Considerate of Others
Whether the others are the people sharing the outdoor spaces with you, or are the wildlife you may encounter, being considerate involves thinking about those other than just you or your group. It could involve being aware of how loud you are at a campsite, or learning some trail etiquette before going on a hike (like the following guidance: people traveling downhill yield to people traveling uphill). It could mean following other LNT principles like leaving what you find or disposing of waste properly. Being considerate is the ultimate ethic of care and respect.
Seven Principles. Infinite terrain to explore. See you on the trail!
Lea Appleton, PCC, NBC-HWC, is a Wayfinding Guide whose outdoor job is leading Wayfinding Days, Labyrinth Walks, and Team-Building Experiences and whose indoor job is coaching, writing, and speaking. She works with people who sense the path calling—and are learning to trust that it is worth following. Learn more at www.wildwayfinding.com
