Leave No Trace

What is the relationship between bushwhacking and Leave No Trace? Can you bushwhack in a manner that is consistent with Leave No Trace ethics or is all bushwhacking bad? What does bushwhacking have to do with ethics anyway? What are some best …

If you want to kill a bear, let it eat human food lying on the ground or easily accessible at your campsite. Bears that “steal” food, even if it’s left unattended and in the open, are shot and killed because they’re classified as …

. . . well, let me confess, it’s me! At one time. Of course, I wasn’t organized enough then to think this far ahead, to pause at the trailhead and ponder What do I do when I have to go? Or you …

This is the first post in a series of articles about Low Impact Stealth Camping that explains how you can to minimize your impact on pristine wilderness sites so no one will know that you ever camped there. This takes a little planning …

Stealth Camping  – What is it? Stealth Camping is when you camp off-trail at an unprepared, virgin campsite. It’s called “Stealth” because you want some privacy and don’t want people to know you are there, but people also do it to be …

Last week I took a 5-day Leave No Trace, Master Educator class in the White Mountains. This is the highest level of training provided by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and enables me to train people who want to become Leave …

I came across this note last week when I was hiking south past Rainbow Lake on the Maine Appalachian Trail.  It reads: HELP, Aug 7 11AM, All Hikers, Towards the lake, I found a root fire. I’ve spent the past 2.5 hours …

Grey Jays are smart birds. They live in the northern half of North America, ranging from Alaska, through Canada, and down into northern New England.  I only see them at or close to mountain summits, where it’s not uncommon for tame Grey …

  Here is my slightly abridged, take no prisoners, version of the Leave No Trace Principles. Plan Ahead and Prepare. Know local regulations. Shelters may be full; bring a tent, tarp or hammock. Carefully map out your route before you arrive including …