Re: Backpacking Greener
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:55 am
I have not made a campfire in years, but is that any 'greener' than burning fossil fuel in a metal stove?
A quality made article of poly clothing with good care will last 20 years. So that footprint may be less than driving a Prius to the trailhead several times per year. The mere act of hiking on a trail impacts soil, watersheds, wildlife, etc. So backpacking itself is not a 'green' activity. Three miles of hiking trail built to current standards is the same as a one acre clearcut (actually, more erosive, since forest practices laws require more erosion control and soil stabilization than trail construction standards).
BTW a human footprint from a typically equipped hiker puts more pressure per square inch on the soil than a D9 tractor. And one study several years ago in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, showed human feces and the corresponding bacteria still identifiable and active after 18 months of proper disposal. Another study in Colorado showed detectable petroleum traces in Wilderness streams from accidental fuel spillage from backpacker stoves. Wildlife behavior impacts are well established in popular wilderness destinations.
I do not hike to be 'green' (I hate that term anyway. It's meaningless and condescending.) I hike because I enjoy it, and I know I am making an impact. I am selfish in that I am willing to make a small and mostly transient impact for my own pleasure.
A quality made article of poly clothing with good care will last 20 years. So that footprint may be less than driving a Prius to the trailhead several times per year. The mere act of hiking on a trail impacts soil, watersheds, wildlife, etc. So backpacking itself is not a 'green' activity. Three miles of hiking trail built to current standards is the same as a one acre clearcut (actually, more erosive, since forest practices laws require more erosion control and soil stabilization than trail construction standards).
BTW a human footprint from a typically equipped hiker puts more pressure per square inch on the soil than a D9 tractor. And one study several years ago in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, showed human feces and the corresponding bacteria still identifiable and active after 18 months of proper disposal. Another study in Colorado showed detectable petroleum traces in Wilderness streams from accidental fuel spillage from backpacker stoves. Wildlife behavior impacts are well established in popular wilderness destinations.
I do not hike to be 'green' (I hate that term anyway. It's meaningless and condescending.) I hike because I enjoy it, and I know I am making an impact. I am selfish in that I am willing to make a small and mostly transient impact for my own pleasure.
