59
votes
Accepted
Impact of throwing away fruit waste on a peak > 3200 m above a glacier
The problem with food waste at that elevation is that there is very little soil to bury things and that decomposition happens much slower at those altitudes.
Sometimes there are still marmots/pikas ...
- 69.2k
45
votes
Accepted
Leave-no-trace-exception for tissues?
It's true that paper tissues biodegrade relatively quickly: this U.S. Bureau of Land Management page estimates 2-4 weeks. However, as the same page notes,
Though most trash and litter in the ...
- 3,752
45
votes
Impact of throwing away fruit waste on a peak > 3200 m above a glacier
My viewpoint: If it is unlikely to be seen before natural processes take care of it then disposal in the wilderness isn't unreasonable. Thus, below timberline, outside Jasper National Park, walking ...
37
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
Depending on how much other stuff you will be carrying, a whole trumpet and case may be too heavy and/or bulky.
Just take your mouthpiece and blow through it when you feel like it, on an easy part of ...
- 1,090
34
votes
When should I avoid geotagging?
It seems likes this is mostly an issue of scale, in well-traveled areas where lots of people go it's not going to make a lot of difference, while remote areas that could possibly see lots of sudden ...
- 69.2k
34
votes
When should I avoid geotagging?
If you are on a photo safari where you take pictures of endangered big-game animals (elephants, rhinos, lions, etc.), do not geotag your images. Poachers are known to check the geoinformation from ...
- 983
29
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
For one, thank you for asking and planning to be considerate. I wouldn’t wholly throw away the idea of practicing while on a backpacking trip, particularly if you’re a professional, but there are ...
- 2,530
27
votes
When should I avoid geotagging?
My general experience is that the problem is really that most tourists are focused in some very tiny but extraordinary popular areas. For example I have seen places in the Rockies where you need to ...
- 12.7k
24
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
From my perspective, it depends on where you are backbacking/camping. And it's not other humans I would be concerned about primarily.
If you are in a very remote setting where there are only very few ...
- 1,552
23
votes
Accepted
What should I do about large trash left by others on USFS land?
When it's unsuitable for removal by your group, contact the relevant authority for that land and let them know the type of litter and its location (pictures and GPS coordinates are helpful). For ...
- 1,509
21
votes
Leave-no-trace-exception for tissues?
There are no exceptions to leave no trace. Either you leave a trace, or you do not, the whole point of leave no trace ethics is to make as small an impact on the environment as possible, this means ...
- 53.5k
21
votes
What is the Leave No Trace way to dispose of coffee grounds?
The material in Owlcation, Can Caffeine Kill? How It Impacts Animals, Plants, and the Environment, updated June 23, 2018, suggests that the safest thing to do with coffee grounds, relative to the ...
- 23.4k
20
votes
Trail marking material that will last a few years
Before marking any trails, please speak to the forest service or whatever local authority is in charge of the land.
They likely have established methods for trail marking that should be followed, and ...
- 1,466
19
votes
Accepted
How long does it take for trash to become a historical artifact (in the United States)?
After 50 years, trash becomes protected as a historical artifact. It turns out that while you are not allowed to leave cans behind, you are also not allowed to "clean up" historic cans as they are an ...
- 69.2k
18
votes
Accepted
Can I use a trail camera to identify a roadside litterer?
I personally would rather just set an action camera to record over the timespan the litterer usually comes by. Consumer trail cameras don't usually have great definition - worse than action cameras ...
- 5,045
17
votes
What should I do about large trash left by others on USFS land?
This is what I do:
I always have extra carry-bags to keep the trash in.
Depending upon what my plan is, if I am coming around the same way back home, I usually pickup everything which shouldn't be ...
- 31.7k
16
votes
Can I use a trail camera to identify a roadside litterer?
Yes, this should work, trail cameras are used quite frequently to catch people littering.
We know this because a hidden camera caught it all on tape. Juneau police used the footage to find the ...
- 69.2k
15
votes
Accepted
Trail marking material that will last a few years
If you want the quickest way to mark a trail, you could go for forestry marking paint. Some brands will advertize around 5 years of permanence. It requires careful placement of your marks so they are ...
- 5,045
14
votes
What should I do about large trash left by others on USFS land?
If the item is small enough to move, but too large to easily carry out. Organize the junk so that it is stacked as inoffensively as practical, but remains easily accessible. Don't hide it or drop it ...
- 30.3k
13
votes
Should I close a cathole (toilet-hole) at night?
I follow the idea of leaving as less a trace as possible. So what I do is to reuse the cathole. The problem with multiple catholes is how much damage it does to the landscape (especially if the ground ...
- 7,815
13
votes
Why aren't the mule trains outfitters required to clean up after their animals?
Unlike human visitors, Equines (horses, mules, and burros) must have their feet cleaned and be on a special diet several days prior to venturing on to the trails.
Feed: Clean trailers, hooves, coat, ...
- 30.3k
13
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
The Leave-no-trace tag in the question implies that you are familiar with the concept. Have you actually read the Leave No Trace principles? I'll quote from Leave No Trace Canada's 7th principle page:
...
- 5,045
12
votes
What should an outdoors traveler know about the biodegradability of plastic?
"Things don't always go perfectly" - what does that mean? There is no reason at all you should ever leave plastic behind.
Bring in as little plastic as you can. Pack your stuff in reusable containers....
- 12.1k
12
votes
What is the Leave No Trace way to dispose of coffee grounds?
The Leave No Trace approach to coffee grounds is to bring them in carefully without spilling them, use them responsibly without making a mess, and take them with you when you leave, together with all ...
11
votes
Accepted
What are the best methods to clean out a fire pits and dispose of the ash?
The practice recommended by the Forest Service here, and here is,
When the ashes are COLD and DEAD OUT, the ashes can simply be scattered outside of the campsite.
I would say that the more widely ...
- 69.2k
11
votes
Accepted
What's the purpose of the huge amount of stone piles on the trails in Gran Canaria
I don't think that there is really a better answer to why than ab2's comment that people are copying the existing ones.
As for what to do about it, that looks like an awful lot of them, but if found ...
- 69.2k
11
votes
When should I avoid geotagging?
There's a saying in Arizona "If you like our wildness, go away".
I'm of a different mind. By going into nature, and coming out of it wishing it to be protected, we do a service to it. How can we ...
- 211
11
votes
Trail marking material that will last a few years
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Probably the easiest and most durable version is the use of cairns. Provided there is enough rocks around, they are easy to build, unaffected by bleaching of the sun and ...
- 7,020
10
votes
Accepted
What can I do to discourage people from littering in the back country?
Make certain that you are part of the solution and not the problem, never leave any of your own garbage behind.
As people are less likely to litter a clean area, remove as much of other people's ...
- 69.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible