When I hike in the Smokies, I'm in black bear country. They're not like grizzly bears and are generally a lot more skittish than people think. They remain skittish because they have no idea what human food taste like, which is result of good practice of leaving no food behind for them. I have always take my freeze dried meal out of the original package the night before the trip and separate them into one serving in different plastic bags. I do this because one time I didn't eat all of the meal in the original package one night, so I had to carry leftover meals and sloshing water in my trash sack.

Anyway, in the Smokies, there are so many campsites near water source. After eating my meal I would stick the mug in the creek to get water and use my bandana to clean up the mug until it spot free. I do not carry soap to clean my dishes; I just use water and bandana to clean my mug. I don't throw food residue in the creek, it just seasons and sauce that may come out of the mug when I soak it then swiped clean with bandana. Is this an acceptable practice? I mean, if you had one of those backpacking sink to wash dishes with, where the heck your pour the water anyway? When I clean my dishes I try my best make sure there no food particles remain for the animals.