Leave No Trace Part 1: ‘Plan Ahead and Prepare’ (unlike I did for this video.)
Leave no trace. It’s obvious. Mostly. But there are several steps involved. Of course, it’s good to remember the core principal which is simply stated, “LEAVE NO TRACE.”
Which means when you are on a trail or sidewalk or at a park that you pick up after yourself. Seems obvious as that kind of thing is what we teach to children starting at very early age.
But as evidenced nearly everywhere we travel as humans, there are plenty of our kind who forget or ignore this basic guideline.
Plan Ahead
‘Plan Ahead and Prepare’ is principle number one of Leave No Trace. Makes sense. Everything follows from this simple reminder. Our friends at LNT.org spell it out very clearly.
“Adequate trip planning and preparation helps backcountry travelers accomplish trip goals safely and enjoyably, while simultaneously minimizing damage to the land. Poor planning often results in miserable campers and damage to natural and cultural resources. Rangers often tell stories of campers they have encountered who, because of poor planning and unexpected conditions, degrade backcountry resources and put themselves at risk.”
I’ll be referring to the great people at Leave No Trace LNT.org again and again. This page is a great resource for all focusing on the planning aspect of Leave No Trace. https://lnt.org/learn/principle-1
Today, for example, I knew I was going to be out so I made a little a PLAN and viola, remembered to bring my reusable coffee cup!
You don’t have to be on a 5 day backpacking trip to think about LNT. But if you are on a extended trip the folks at NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) have some great, field-tested advice. https://blog.nols.edu/topic/leave-no-trace
Practice daily
It’s important to leave no trace wherever we go. We can practice LNT in our daily lives. More important we can teach this principle to our children. And it starts with taking just a bit of time to plan your day, your excursion, your trip to the playground or Joshua Tree.
With a little forethought you’ll be able to pack sensibly and eliminate some single-use ziplocks, say. Or maybe you’ll have time to fill up a reusable water bottle with the Brita instead of panicking and buying plastic water bottles from 7-11. Your partner / friends / family will understand the subtle cues your giving. That’s especially true of our youth.
Kids get it. Doesn’t take much to make the sensible make sense to children. It’s when they observe our bad habits over and over again that we really miss the boat. Or in this case miss the bin.
Ted Mattison, also known as Ranger Ted, is a Certified California Naturalist, trained in Wilderness First Aid, and has explored, hiked, canoed and kayaked extensively from his home state of Minnesota to Alaska, Washington and California. He’s a graduate of Oberlin College and a former Social Studies teacher. Ted has been a working actor, director, producer and acting teacher in Los Angeles for 25 years. He is the founder of Wonder Outside with Ranger Ted and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife and two daughters.
My 19-month-old on Sunset Beach a day after massive debris/trash flow hit as a result of recent rains.
Ted Mattison, also known as Ranger Ted, is a Certified California Naturalist, trained in Wilderness First Aid, and has explored, hiked, canoed and kayaked extensively from his home state of Minnesota to Alaska, Washington and California. He’s a graduate of Oberlin College and a former Social Studies teacher. Ted has been a working actor, director, producer and acting teacher in Los Angeles for 25 years. He is the founder of Wonder Outside with Ranger Ted and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife and two daughters. For more info please visit http://www.rangerted.net
