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Wilderness Ethics / Responsible Hiking
Greenpeace, a leading force in the modern environmental movement, was founded in 1969 by folks from Vancouver. BC today is a volatile place where Native groups & environmentalists often go head to head with industrial interests. Environmentalists here seek to improve forestry practices and eliminate large-scale fish farming.
Protecting a sufficient percentage of parkland is high priority, too. The Sierra Club & many others have a mandate to protect Trails, to preserve the natural state. The West Coast Trail is a terrific example of wilderness protection.
An Environmental Philosophy
… appreciation for the joys and rewards of wilderness experiences. Enlightened outdoor users have a feeling of stewardship for the land, travel & camp with minimum impact on the natural environment & clean up areas of those who are less environmentally sensitive.
- The Canadian Recreational Canoeists Association Canoeists Code
Removing marine life, fossils, artefacts is verboten. Resist the urge to collect a natural souvenir. (Who wants to carry the extra weight, anyway?)
Do not cut trees for firewood or constructing a shelter.
Do not collect or remove marine life, shellfish, fossils, artefacts, plants, etc. Violators will be prosecuted.
Respect wildlife. Observe but don’t interfere.
Respect private property, cultural & historical sites, etc.
When brushing your teeth, spit well away from water sources.
Use biodegradable soap or no soap at all. (You're going to stink anyway.)
Respect the reverie of other hikers, local peoples, fishermen, etc. Respect the privacy of other campsites even if they are just a few metres away from your own.
Mussels at low tide.
Trash
Practice low-impact, no trace camping. Leave the Trail cleaner than you found it.
Always cleanup your campsite before departure. Collect any trash left by those who have come before you.
If you pack it in, you must pack it out.
Bring thick plastic (string-tied) trash bags. We've even used waterproof stuff sacks to carry out trash. Once emptied of food, they become trash containers. Easy to hang with the food; easy to attach to the outside of your pack.
Plan meals which minimise the amount of trash you will need to carry out. For example, package your food in burnable containers. Be sure to burn trash completely (in a hot fire) to avoid attracting animals.
Grey water should be dumped into the sea, or disposed of at least 30 metres (yards) away from any drinking water sources. This includes even biodegradable soap.
Pack out garbage with plastic or metal content. (e.g. twist-ties, foil, etc.)
Thoroughly burn or pack-out sanitary napkins, tampons, etc. Check your campfire before departing to see if any small bits were not incinerated to ash.
Pack-out or burn cigarette butts. (Why don’t you go ‘cold turkey’ this hike)
Pack-out or burn fruit peels, especially orange peels.
Anenome in a tidal pool.
