Category Archives: Backpacking

Proposal for a New Wilderness Ethic: Leave No Digital Trace (LNDT)

Backpacking, Camping, The Environment,

For decades, the Leave No Trace (LNT) ethic has guided outdoor backpackers (and others) in minimizing their physical impact on wild places. These principles — focused on waste, wildlife, and landscape preservation — remain essential. However, modern technology has introduced a new and often overlooked form of impact: the digital footprint. Smartphones, GPS devices, drones, social media platforms, and geotagging have transformed how people experience and share wilderness. While these tools might offer some safety, navigation, and education benefits, they also create lasting digital traces that can harm fragile environments and diminish the wilderness experience for others.

This proposal introduces Leave No Digital Trace (LNDT), a complementary wilderness ethic designed to address the unintended consequences of digital technology in natural spaces. LNDT encourages outdoor users to minimize their digital impact in the same way LNT minimizes physical impact.

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Backpacking & Technology

Backpacking, Technology

Backpacking has long been somewhat defined by its simplicity, self-reliance, and a close connection to the natural world. In recent years, however, modern technology has become deeply integrated into outdoor recreation. GPS devices, smartphones, satellite communicators, and social media have changed how people plan, experience, and remember their trips. While these tools seemingly provide benefits, perhaps we should worry that technology is negatively affecting backpacking by diminishing self-reliance, weakening the wilderness experience, increasing environmental impact, and altering the culture of backcountry travel — a culture rooted in a combination of practical skills, ethical behavior, and an appreciation for solitude and rugged beauty.

First some comments about older people not wanting to change and technology in general . . .

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Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale: Long Term Review

Backpacking
Sherline Tongue Scale

It is extremely important that the tongue weight of your trailer is within the specifications of the tow vehicle manufacturer and the trailer manufacturer. Almost all specifiy that the tongue weight should be between 10% — 15% of the trailer’s gross weight. In addition you should not try to tow a trailer that exceeds to the total gross weight specified by the tow vehicle manufacturer and the trailer manufacturer.

In this post I’ll discuss why you should follow the tow vehicle manufacturer’s specifications, how to use the Sherline Tongue Weight Scale and why I recommend it.

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Book Review: Bear Attacks — Their Causes and Avoidance, by Stephen Herrero

Backpacking, Camping,

Yesterday I wrote about what to do in an encounter with a mountain lion. A lot of what I wrote applies to bears. But not all of it. Plus there are three kinds of bears in North America that can be encountered: black bears, brown bears (grizzly bears) and, if you are half-crazy like my very dear friend Peter, polar bears.

Each kind is different is several respects and encounters often need different strategies.

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What To Do If You Encounter A Mountain Lion While Hiking?

Backpacking, Camping
From Wikipedia — This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: NaturesFan1226

There are a few questions people, who don’t backpack, often ask me. For one, most ask, “How many miles did you hike?” In a way, this is kind of amusing to me as I wrote in How many miles did you hike? To be fair to those who ask the question, it is a part of our nature and intelligence to quantify things around us — something that separates us from all other creatures on the planet.

The other question I get is, “What about mountain lions?” Then a series of “what-if kind of questions.” Often bears or rattlesnakes are substituted for mountain lions.

So let’s examine what one should do if they encounter a mountain lion on a backpacking trip or even a day hike.

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