Forsake Partners With Leave No Trace | Forsake Adventure Blog

Forsake was born out of a love for exploring the great outside and we believe it’s our responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment. As part of that effort, we are proud to partner with Leave No Trace, an organization that helps educate people about how to enjoy the great outdoors responsibly.

At a time when more people are discovering the joys of the natural world, it’s increasingly important to learn to do so responsibly. At Forsake, we encourage you to learn and follow these rules set out by Leave No Trace for your next outdoor adventure:

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Look up the areas you plan to visit online or contact the local visitor center. Knowing things such as authorized trails, protected areas, and available facilities is important. You need to know if there will be bathrooms available or will you need to bury your excrement, then pack accordingly. And be sure to bring a bag to take trash home with you.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Travel damage occurs when surface vegetation or communities of organisms are trampled beyond recovery. The resulting barren area leads to soil erosion and the development of undesirable trails. Travel on trails whenever possible. Land management agencies construct trails to provide identifiable routes that concentrate foot and stock traffic. Concentrating travel on trails reduces the likelihood that multiple routes will develop and scar the landscape. It is better to have one well-designed route than many poorly chosen paths.

Trash Talk
Pack it in, pack it out. Pick up all your trash and pack it out or dispose of it in a trashcan. Do not discard natural items. Orange and banana peels, apple cores, and nutshells can take years to decompose. Pack those out too.

Need to go but bathrooms are closed? Walk at least 70 steps away from trails, water, and people. If you have to go number two, either 1) bury it at least six inches deep and pack out your toilet paper, or 2) use a "wag bag" (a biodegradable and disposable bag, available for purchase in most outdoor stores) so you can pack out your waste. Pet waste is also a health hazard and can harm water, plants, and wildlife. Make sure to pack out your pet waste, too.

Leave What You Find
Leave areas as you found them. Do not dig trenches for tents. If you clear an area of surface rocks, twigs, or pine cones, replace these items before leaving. Always clean up the site and dismantle inappropriate user-built facilities. Consider the idea that good campsites are found and not made. Avoid hammering nails into trees for hanging things, hacking at them with hatchets and saws, or tying tent guy lines to trunks – thus girdling the tree. Carving initials into trees is unacceptable.

Minimize Campfire Impacts
Do not build fires in areas where there is little wood, in heavily used areas, or in desert settings. The best place to build a fire is within an existing fire ring in a well-placed campsite. Keep the fire small and burning only for the time you are using it. Allow wood to burn completely to ash. Put out fires with water, not dirt. Avoid building fires next to rock outcrops where the black scars will remain for many years. Don’t bring firewood from home – either buy it from a local source or gather it responsibly where allowed. Pack out any campfire litter. Lastly, plastic items and foil-lined wrappers should never be burned in a camp fire.

Respect Wildlife
Learn about wildlife through quiet observation. Do not disturb animals or plants just for a better look or photo op. Observe wildlife from a distance so they are not scared or forced to flee. Quick movements and loud noises are stressful to animals. Travel quietly and do not pursue, feed, or force animals to flee (one exception is in bear country where it is good to make a little noise so as not to startle the bears). Do not touch, get close to, or pick up any wild animals – this is stressful to the animal, and it is possible that the animal may harbor rabies or other diseases.

For full details on each of the Seven Principles and more information about Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics visit: www.LNT.org

Now get out, enjoy your world, and Leave No Trace.