Leave No Trace

Oyo High Adventure programs utilize the methods outlined in Leave No Trace and Soft Paths (NOLS: National Outdoor Leadership School).  We follow these basic principles:

  Plan ahead and prepare.

  Camp and travel in durable areas

  Pack it in, pack it out

  Properly dispose of what you cannot pack out

  Leave what you find

  Minimize use and impact of fire

Human Waste
Trash
Wastewater, Food Storage, & Sanitation
Bear Bags
Campfires
Hiking
Campsites 

Human Waste

In areas not equipped with toilet facilities, packing out feces is the most responsible way of dealing with human waste.  Because this is not always practical in the wilderness, proper disposal should accomplish these three objectives:

Minimize the chance of water pollution

Minimize the chance of anyone or anything finding the waste

Maximize the rate of decomposition

Catholes are the best option in areas that are regularly visited by people.  Choose a site that is out of the way and more than two hundred feet from water, trails, and camps.  Dig a hole six to eight inches deep and four to six inches in diameter.  When you are done, stir in soil with a stick, cover with two inches of topsoil, and camouflage the surface.  If you choose to use toilet paper, pack it in a plastic bag to carry out or to burn later in a hot campfire.

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Trash

Pack it in, pack it out.  Pack out solid food scraps.

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Wastewater, Food Storage, and Sanitation

Clean utensils of all food particles, and rinse.  Strain dishwater, and scatter liquid at least two hundred feet from any water source.  Use soap far from streams and lakes to avoid contamination.

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Bear Bags

All food, cooking gear, and other “smellables” like soap and toothpaste should be placed in a bear bag and hung between two trees at a height of at least 20 feet and at least 15 feet from nearby branches.

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Campfires

Be sure there is abundant deadwood in the area.  Never collect wood from standing trees.  Use dead, dry wood found on the ground and no more than one or two inches thick.  Gather wood away from campsite, leaving some so that the area does not look denuded.

Build the fire in the most pronounced and safest preexisting fire ring at the site.  Dismantle other fire rings in the area.  Leave the site clean and attractive so that others will use the same ring.

Burn all wood to ash.  Let the ash cool until you can sift it through your fingers.  Crush remaining charcoal, and scatter ash and charcoal bits widely.  Scatter unburned firewood.  Pick up unburned food or other remnants and pack out.

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Hiking

Follow established trails.  Walk single file and stay on the path to avoid creating a wider tread or new track.  Travel in small groups (no more than 12).  Spread out when traveling off-trail.  Take rest breaks off the trail and out of view on durable surfaces such as rock or sand, or places with resistant vegetation, such as dry, grassy meadows.  Select off-trail routes that avoid fragile areas, particularly wetlands, unstable slopes, and places covered by shrubs or dense-leaved herbs and ferns.  Stay off developing user-created trails to allow the area time to recover.

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Campsites

In popular areas, spreading use merely increases the area that is impacted.  Camp in preexisting, well-worn sites that are large enough to accommodate the crew.  Well-worn sites can be identified by a lack of vegetation and the presence of fire rings, trails, and barren ground.  In such areas, confine activities to the well-worn sites and avoid enlarging the area of disturbance.  Leave campsites clean and attractive so that others will use them after you are gone.

In a lightly used area, the goal is to minimize the number of times the site is trampled.  Select a previously unused pristine site that is durable.  The most durable sites are unvegetated and lack well-developed soil.  Such sites include rocky outcrops, gravel bars, sandy beaches, ice, and snow.

When it is impossible to avoid vegetation completely, consider the types of plants in the area before choosing a campsite.  Grasslike plants are the most tolerant for trampling.  Woody plants and broad-leaved herbs are much more vulnerable.

On pristine sites, spread out and vary paths around camp.  Place kitchens and packs (areas that see the most concentrated use) on durable surfaces such as rock or gravel.  Limit the length of your stay.

Avoid areas where signs of impact are just beginning.

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