Coffee grounds
- longri
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Re: Coffee grounds
I'm glad nobody's offendend. I do like to debate but I wasn't trying to push buttons.
I'm sure I'll be with the vast majority in that I won't be packing out my poo or filtering out the solids in my urine while walking in the Sierra. And I drive there and understand well the impact that this activity has on our wilderness. When it comes to coffee grounds I take them with me on the rare occasions that I bother brewing up for real but I'm still not convinced it's an important impact. Just another small one. An increment. I was chatting with a wilderness ranger of some sort in Yosemite a few weeks ago. He was complaining about how he'd go into the backcountry and run into the very same people he'd given permits to only to find them doing all of the things he'd explained to them (and that they'd apparently understood) were wrong and illegal. He was very frustrated about that. How do you reach people who think it's okay to litter at home or in the backcountry? It seems to me it's too late to educate and enforcement is virtually impossible.
Fire rings, litter, toilet paper, vegetation damage, exposed feces....
In that respect, coffee grounds aren't a big issue, not that I'm advocating dumping them.
I'm sure I'll be with the vast majority in that I won't be packing out my poo or filtering out the solids in my urine while walking in the Sierra. And I drive there and understand well the impact that this activity has on our wilderness. When it comes to coffee grounds I take them with me on the rare occasions that I bother brewing up for real but I'm still not convinced it's an important impact. Just another small one. An increment. I was chatting with a wilderness ranger of some sort in Yosemite a few weeks ago. He was complaining about how he'd go into the backcountry and run into the very same people he'd given permits to only to find them doing all of the things he'd explained to them (and that they'd apparently understood) were wrong and illegal. He was very frustrated about that. How do you reach people who think it's okay to litter at home or in the backcountry? It seems to me it's too late to educate and enforcement is virtually impossible.
Fire rings, litter, toilet paper, vegetation damage, exposed feces....
In that respect, coffee grounds aren't a big issue, not that I'm advocating dumping them.
- PWS
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Re: Coffee grounds
VIA is the only way to go! Thus, no need to worry about grounds.
- maverick
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Re: Coffee grounds
Hi PWS,
Welcome to HST!
Backpackers coffee article: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... fAfjlO5dcA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Welcome to HST!

Backpackers coffee article: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... fAfjlO5dcA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer
I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.
Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.
Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
- camptramp
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Coffee grounds
Great article
My rule is, always leave camp cleaner than I found it and never do anything that would cause harm if 10,000 people did it. Maybe Chic Bowdry could detect coffee grounds in my camp, but the way I disperse grounds I think you'd have to be able to read sign pretty well to tell any difference.
My rule is, always leave camp cleaner than I found it and never do anything that would cause harm if 10,000 people did it. Maybe Chic Bowdry could detect coffee grounds in my camp, but the way I disperse grounds I think you'd have to be able to read sign pretty well to tell any difference.
- MountainMinstrel
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Coffee grounds
If I have a fire, I burn the grounds. If not, I carry them out. The only thing I bury is poop and if you do Whitney, you carry that out too.
Just an old musician who loves the Mountains.
- caddis
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Re: Coffee grounds
There is no logical reason to carry out coffee grounds if they are disposed of discreetly

- rlown
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Re: Coffee grounds
nothing really to add. just mesmerized by your signature..
and yes.. agree completely (er, coffee grounds).

and yes.. agree completely (er, coffee grounds).
- sekihiker
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Re: Coffee grounds
I can. Zero. Maybe we should start spreading out.Jimr wrote: I can't count how many times I've moved a rock in the high country just to find smeared poop.
- SweetSierra
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Re: Coffee grounds
An interesting Backpacking Light article. It doesn't mention my favorite substitute for ground French Roast (which I used to bring but no longer due to weight): Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso. It makes a strong cup of coffee and is lightweight. Agree that coffee is a necessity 

- longri
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Re: Coffee grounds
It doesn't make any stronger a cup than any other instant coffee if you use the same weight of instant to the same amount of water.SweetSierra wrote:An interesting Backpacking Light article. It doesn't mention my favorite substitute for ground French Roast (which I used to bring but no longer due to weight): Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso. It makes a strong cup of coffee and is lightweight.
Medaglia D'Oro is a lot cheaper than VIA. But try this at home. Make a cup from VIA and one from Medaglia and taste them side by side, black. To make them the same strength you'll need a good scale but unless you make them wildly different it probably won't matter that much.
When I did this I was surprised at just how big a difference there was. I don't drink Medaglia instant any more.
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