Leave No Trace Principles are seven rules used to educate hikers on their impact on nature. Less is definitely more.
In 2016 the National Park system is breaking records for visitation. This is a good thing to encourage others to get outdoors. Unfortunately, people at these numbers are taking a toll on the landscape. It's come to the point where I will not even visit most places featured by an article in the spring and summer months.
To lessen the strain on our Olympic Mountains, it's very important that we do not give out too much information about these fragile environments. Would you send out a letter to 20,000 people letting them know an exact location to camp at your favorite lake? I think not! but, that is what you are doing when you put out such details online. To make things worse, some of the time, it's for a private monetary purpose.
Following these rules will severely make a difference on the high impacted areas. Some of which, will take decades to recover from. Let us make a difference now, before your favorite hike or campsite is a reservation or quota system.
Article by Barefoot Jake
In 2016 the National Park system is breaking records for visitation. This is a good thing to encourage others to get outdoors. Unfortunately, people at these numbers are taking a toll on the landscape. It's come to the point where I will not even visit most places featured by an article in the spring and summer months.
To lessen the strain on our Olympic Mountains, it's very important that we do not give out too much information about these fragile environments. Would you send out a letter to 20,000 people letting them know an exact location to camp at your favorite lake? I think not! but, that is what you are doing when you put out such details online. To make things worse, some of the time, it's for a private monetary purpose.
LNT Rules for the Internet (Social Media and Websites)
- Never publish GPS data (including maps)
- Don't publicly share names of accessible locations
- Stop talking about the same location repeatedly
- Maintain a safe distance from wild animals
- Refer a new hiker to a guide book
Following these rules will severely make a difference on the high impacted areas. Some of which, will take decades to recover from. Let us make a difference now, before your favorite hike or campsite is a reservation or quota system.
Article by Barefoot Jake