Leave No Trace and Hammocks

[NCPatrick]

On a second note, Just this year I started packing everything out. In other words I no longer take a potty shovel, :-0 I use theses.
http://safetycentral.com/re2wiwacopo.html

http://www.brighthub.com/environment...les/66694.aspx how to recycle mylar. (not sure about reuse in this application though).

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Perhaps Leave Less Trace LLT would be more honest and accurate. Leaving NO trace is physically impossible. The beauty of hammock camping IMO is it allows us to spread out the impact more because no matter what there will be some impact. Then there is the idea of common sense as in; I am going to dig a cat hole in an out of the way spot while making sure to cover it well...I will not carry it out simply because someone refuses to see that I am a part of nature too, period. That said I work to avoid camping in spots where folk gather anyway, makes for better LLT. TR Rosevelt environmentalist here.

[Sarae]

The backpacking club that I participate in educates its members on LNT principles. Hike leaders lead by example and are in charge of how much emphasis they wish to place upon the practice. It doesn't get followed to the letter on every trip, but at least the word is getting out and more people are becoming aware of the possibilities. It IS nice to show the group's ground dwellers that the hammockers leave less of an imprint on the area where they hang than clearing a flat area for their tent will allow. As for the tree huggers damaging a tree... I have never left my rig up for more than 2 nights, so I would be very surprised if there were lasting damage to the rough-barked trees that I usually hang from. It would still be interesting to see a study of the impacts of tree huggers on different tree species.

[Riverpirate]

Isn't th AT a "trace" from one end of the country to the other.

[titanium_hiker]

@RiverPirate yes, it is, but I figure that people are going to want to get out in the woods, and you may as well reduce the damage by restricting the foot prints to just the trail. It's LNT, not "please go away from the woods and leave it alone" (of course there are some really sensitive areas where this is a good idea, but the majority of woods should be enjoyed.)



On another note, anyone know of LNT stuff in Australia?

TH

[Alamosa]

On a second note, Just this year I started packing everything out. In other words I no longer take a potty shovel, :-0 I use theses.
http://safetycentral.com/re2wiwacopo.html

Then there is the idea of common sense as in; I am going to dig a cat hole in an out of the way spot while making sure to cover it well...I will not carry it out simply because someone refuses to see that I am a part of nature too, period. That said I work to avoid camping in spots where folk gather anyway, makes for better LLT.

I sure hate the idea of having to carry "everything" out, but have to admit there are probably times when it is reasonable and necessary. The big difference between people and most animals that are part of nature is that we tend to congregate and re-use the same area more.

Anyone who has hiked the Grand Canyon trails knows the major difference between what occurs in nature and the horrendous smell that exists at the points on the trail where the dudes rest their mules (and the mules take a rest break). Concentration of waste can be a big problem.

I have seen carry out situations for river treks where people re-use the same stopping points over and over. It will probably become the norm in many national park and forest service back country sites that see heavy use.

Not looking forward to it though!

[Just Jeff]

Being an LNT Master Educator and seeing Hammock camping as an ultimate LNT impact reducer I am curious as to how familiar the Forum membership is with Leave No Trace and the Leave No Trace Center.

Let's keep the thread focused on LNT as it relates to hammocking, rather than a general discussion of LNT, please. If y'all want to talk about where to poop in the woods, that's fine...but we'll have to move the thread to the off-topic (donating member's) section. I'd rather have an LNT-Hammock discussion in the free access area where more people will be exposed to it.

I'm with many others here...I follow LNT as much as feasible but don't let it dictate my enjoyment. Hammocking really opens up a lot more campsites, allowing me to camp in areas where ground dwellers wouldn't, or minimize the ground impact if I'm in a high-use area. That's probably the biggest advantage of hammock re: LNT...lots of folks can get the great views without camping on the same 20 square feet of ground.

And if you also follow the triangle principle of campsite, food bag and latrine, that means everyone is less likely to dig latrines in the same place as well.

[gnome]

We have a cabin on 11 acres in Arkan. In several spots barb wire was put around trees as part of a fence years ago. In the ensuing years the tree has grown around the wire, i(in many spots , 360 degrees around!) in no trees have I noticed any bad effects on the trees.
Be good to the camping environment, of course!
Don't litter , a given
pack out the plastics, containers, always
think that our 1 in +- hammock straps are causing harm to one of the 30 million trees along
the AT? I do not think so! and that is why hummocking is prob the least invasive means of using our great outdoors! gnome

[adkmcmahon]

I look at it as a guide, not a set of 'rules'. I try to incorporate as much LNT into my time in the woods as I can, but I don't let it dictate the experience I have in the woods.

Absolutely, the 7 LNT principle are just that, principles not rules. The idea with LNT is to educate not legislate a reduction of impact. By thinking about how we impact a resource we can find ways hopefully to minimize that impact, using a hammock for example, or choosing alchy stoves over huge campfires. By going to the LNT principles we start a conversation among the resource users about not only how we do things but why. Hammocking I feel fits in with the intention, as I know it, of the LNT ethic. Hammocks get people off the ground and with the use of tree straps reduce impact on campsites. It has been my feeling, after reading a years worth of posts that the Hammock Forum members weather they Know it or not have been practicing elements of LNT all along. I started the thread to get a feel of how many people know LNT and how many agree with me on the way Hammock Camping fits into LNT. The Boy Scouts of America, perhaps the nations largest impactors, has embraced LNT and hamocks as well. This summer Tom Hennesey was at the 100th Anniversary Jamboree in Virginia showing the Scouts the glory of hammock camping. The area he was in was the Leave No Trace area.

[adkmcmahon]

REALLY? wow

Bengal Spice tea kills about any flavor, including water from boiling Nathans Hot Dogs. The boys groan when the see the tea bags in the bear cans, but they do it and it's voluntary. But the important thing here is that when we see impact we find ways to reduce it without impacting the reasons we are there in the first place, enjoyment. The boys in the Troop have taken to LNT and Hammocks. About 90 percent of them sleep in hammocks.