Capping in a bag

As some areas are altogether more particular about the effect one may have on the environment, how does one go about leaving no trace. I know some pack it in pack it out, what does it entail?

I haven't camped in an area that requires packing it out. I've been in areas that have discussed it. In those areas they have a hard enough time getting people to follow the current regulations. I felt like the new regulations would just impact the people who are already doing their part and would have no effect on the people who are causing the damage they are trying to stop.

If an area is so impacted by human activity to truly require packing it out I'd rather not spend much time there. It is either too fragile or more likely too crowded.

Bingo.

To sort of answer your question, we have some interesting desert locations that we visit in the back country where the lack of rain prohibits the breakdown of materials. We have never seen another person in these locations from the difficulty getting through the landscape and the absolute lack of water sources but we always pack out paper products like TP and wet wipes. Animals will dig them up and spread them. Place in a ziplock freezer bag and keep in a pocket on the outside of the pack. Throw in first trash can you encounter after coming back into civilization. There are places that require wag bags but we don’t go where other people go so I’m not much help for that.

Yes yes, yea of the americas with ample elbow room. Unfortunately in Europe there is mainly 2 areas, one where there are people and one where there are pointy mountains. The pointy mountains are a problem because re supplying food is a hike in itself, you cannot carry food uphill very well, by the time you get uphill it's time to come down again. The other areas it is hard to be more than a mile from a dwelling. There are areas that are more remote but they see a lot of visitors so there is control of camping to lessen the impact.

I do not know whether it is like this in the states, but here in the UK footpath erosion in some areas is a major problem due to the amount of visitors. The US has roughly the same area protected as national parks as the entire land area of the uk.

The US is a diverse place. We have wide open spaces and places where we like to jam as many people together as we can. The popular national parks have some spectacular sites, but don't expect quiet serenty without a lot of effort. Yosemite Valley and Yellowstone are overcrowded beyond reason.

We don’t care for crowds so there was a time we avoided National Parks. But we started thinking differently and found that we could find complete solitude in the most popular Parks. It does take a bit of effort but not near as much as we originally thought. It was then we began to make some stunning discoveries. Off trail if allowed is the way to proceed into another dimension. Our favorite National Park allows off trail travel throughout but everyone save very, very few stick right on the trails.

Europeans are crazy about the southwest and really have a love of exploration here. Another valuable feature of the iPhone is the translator app where you can have them speak into the mic and the app speaks the translation back and forth. I’ve met Germans more than once in some of the most out of the way places. Those folks are extremely adventurous.

Thanks BHZ, thanks Arizona, that has done a lot to make me feel better, #green with envy.

Petro1234, I’ve spoken to folks from England over the decades and have learned of the difficulties of accessing lands for recreation. That is a foreign concept in my corner of the North American continent. Three tents of a mile (a bit less than half a kilometer) as the raven flies from my front door is a portal to 400 square miles of wilderness starting with surreal desert at 2700’ (823 meters), a labyrinth of trails leading to mountain peaks over 9000’ (more than 2700 meters) through countless canyons.

That is my playground. It is so vast that I carry 7 maps from ultra detailed to a couple that completely cover the entire area at a less detailed scale. We walk into it from home, no driving necessary. There are lions, bighorn sheep and bears…oh my. Lots of other wildlife and flora from saguaros to ponderosa pine. Some of it is National Park but easy to be alone. We usually go into the National Forest wilderness which is much closer and in my opinion better. The entire West and in my opinion especially the Southwest is thee gem of the outdoors. Even though it is amazingly vast we treat it with a lot of respect on all levels.

It’s a different perspective than many Europeans normally experience but we welcome vacationers and travelers.

I couldn't figure out what this thread was about for quite a while, but I didn't take the time to peruse it closely.

Now I perceive that the original topic's first word is missing an "r"!

Ha, ha…nice way to sort of soften a delicate subject though.

Oh my goodness! This makes so much more sense now. I thought it must be a British thing. XD