Get in. Get out. Leave behind nothing but…nothing. That’s the philosophy behind LNT—Leave No Trace—backcountry travel. No one wants to bust their chops to get to the back of beyond only to find half-burned candy bar wrappers and whacked off tree branches. Even at popular campsites it’s just as easy to minimize your impact as it is to trash the woods. But in its original version, LNT was a downer, a bunch of DON’Ts that read like a middle school principal spelling out the rules for the big spring dance. When it comes to camping, though, we’ve all come a long ways from trenching tools and latrines made of lashed poles. Sure, there’s stuff that still ranks a big NOT. Leaving toilet paper on the ground. Cutting standing trees. But we’ve re-tooled a 21st-century version of LNT into a big list of proactive, positive-outcome-calibrated DOs. Now you can be the change. Leave No Trace. Here’s how to vanish from the wilds:
GET IN. Most North Carolina campers can choose from existing campsites, even in fairly remote areas. Better to bed down on a beaten-down tent pad than wreck an undisturbed site- you can always set up the camp kitchen at a scenic vista nearby. Stick to existing fire circles in heavily used areas. If you go off-rail, remember that good campsites are found, not made. Look for a spot just large enough for the tent. The standard LNT mantra is to forgo the fire, but if you go with the burn, prepare a fire site by shoveling out a layer of soil and surface plants and setting aside. Learn to use a map and compass or a GPS. Flagging tape is so yesteryear. And there's another kind of pollution that many groups completely forget to avoid: noise pollution. Try to stick to a reasonable quiet hour. It's fun to be a teenager in a group yelling and laughing until 3 in the morning- but it's not fun to listen to!!
GET OUT. Before you break camp, burn all wood completely. Kids love this job, so give ‘em a stick and make sure they push every little stub into the fire. Saturate the ashes, then scatter them. If you scraped out a fire pit, replace the sod, and toss leaves and twigs over the spot. Scour the camp for tiny bits of micro-trash. This is another great job for kids- offer an ice-cream-cone reward for whoever can find the most micro-trash, stuff like snippets of foil and paper, egg shell fragments, and sippy-cup straw wrappers. Remove all cordage from trees, even if you didn’t place it there. Naturalize the site before you leave. Rake matted grasses and leaves with a branch. Bring in rocks and sticks to hide your tent site. And the same rule applies no matter how near or far to civilization you camp: Pack it in, pack it out. Yes, that means banana peels, apple cores, egg shells, and cigar butts. If it wasn’t there when Columbus landed- or was it Erik the Red?- remove it.
IN THE MOUNTAINS:
Camp just below ridge tops (if possible) to keep your tent from being so visible by others- you’ll still have a killer view. Burn smaller sticks and burn all wood completely to avoid leaving burned stubs behind. Use a tent with a tub-style floor; you’ll never dig a drainage trench again.
AT THE COAST:
Always build fires below the high tide line. Camp away from the toe of sand dunes. When fishing with live or cut bait, toss shrimp shells and leftover fish in zippered plastic bags and pack out; raccoons and foxes are attracted to such trash, and then prey on sea turtles. Leave any eggs you find on the sand alone; beach-nesting birds rarely build nests.
ON THE WATER:
Carry dirty dish-cleaning water away from the stream and campsite; the next camper doesn’t want to filter water soiled with your leftover spaghetti noodles. Scatter ashes into a strong current and camouflage the fire site with sand.
THE GOODS:
It’s no surprise that Great Outdoor Provision Co. keeps stock on what it takes to get you into the woods. But we also carry what you need to get out of wilds without giving Mother Nature a bad hair day. Check out these easy-on-the-land ideas the next time you’re headed outside.
Paracord and S-biners/carabiners: Once upon a time, hanging a lantern or pot-holder was as simple as driving a nail into a tree. What were we thinking? String a length of parachute cord around a tree trunk and slip on a few carabiners or S-biners to hold whatever needs holding.
Cooking stoves: Instead of a fire, cook on one of our high-performance cookstoves. Our stores stock stoves for all of your possible needs- from stoves just for one to stoves almost big enough to handle Kate, her 8 kids, and a couple of “Survivor” rejects.Gourmet freeze-dried foods: This ain’t your daddy’s Stroganoff/Kung Pao Chicken/Pad Thai. Check out our aisle of backcountry grub and you’ll find stuff good enough to serve at your next indoor supper club.
Camp chairs: You could drag a fallen tree down the creek bank for a makeshift camp chair. Or you could not.
If you have any more LNT questions, feel free to ask our staff members at any of our locations- we'll be happy to help out!