The document provides tips for planning and preparing for a safe and environmentally-friendly backcountry trip. It recommends identifying trip goals and participant skills, learning about the area, choosing proper equipment, and meal planning. Additionally, it suggests traveling on durable surfaces, properly disposing of waste, leaving natural areas undisturbed, minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.

1. By: Kary Lin

2. Plan Ahead and Prepare
 Identify and record the goals of your trip.
 Identify the skill and ability of trip participants.
 Gain knowledge of the area you plan to visit from land
managers, maps, and literature.
 Choose equipment and clothing for comfort, safety, and
Leave No Trace qualities.
 Plan trip activities to match your goals, skills, and
abilities.
 Meal Planning

3. Travel and Camp on Durable
Surfaces
 Select a flat, safe place to camp.
 Stay on the Trail; never shortcut switchbacks. Take breaks off-trail on
durable surfaces, such as rock or grass.
 Restrict activities to areas where vegetation is already absent.

4. Dispose of Waste Properly
Dig a Cat hole to in your waste product
Pack it in, Pack it out.” Don’t burn, bury, or leave litter
or extra food. This includes cigarette butts, and fruit
peels. Keep your trash bag handy so you can pick up
litter left by others.

5. Leave What You Find
 Avoid Damaging Live Trees and Plants
 Leave Natural Objects and Cultural Artifacts
 Consider using rubber tips on the bottom of your
trekking poles to avoid scratch marks on rocks,
“clicking” sounds, and leaving holes along the trail.
 Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species
by checking your boots, socks, packs, tents, and
clothing for non-native seeds that you could remove
before hitting the trail.

6. Minimize Campfire Impacts
Firewood
 Avoid using hatchets, saws, or breaking branches off standing or
downed trees. Dead and down wood burns easily, is easy to collect and
leaves less impact.
 Use small pieces of wood no larger than the diameter of an adult wrist
that can be broken with your hands
Cleanup
 Provide adequate supervision for young people when using stoves or
fires.
 Follow all product and safety labels for stoves.
 Use approved containers for fuel

7. Respect Wildlife
 Quick movements and loud noises are stressful to
animals. Travel quietly and do not pursue, feed or force
animals to flee.
 Do not touch, get close to, feed or pick up wild
animals. It is stressful to the animal, and it is possible
that the animal may harbor rabies or other diseases.
Sick or wounded animals can bite, peck or scratch and
send you to the hospital.

8. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Many people come to the outdoors to listen to nature.
Excessive noise, unleashed pets and damaged
surroundings take away from everyone's experience.
Hikers and bicyclists should move off the trail to the
downhill side.