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Off The Rail - Mar 23, 2005 - Printable Version
- Stupid Things I See People Do In The Backcountry (Part I)
by Mike Bohling
It’s 8:00 AM on a Wednesday morning. Sharon and I have the canoe in the water, loaded with gear and provisions for a 5 day paddling trip into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness area of the Stanislaus National Forest in California. The lake that we’re on is shaped somewhat like an electric guitar, a large open body of water dotted with islands, and a long deep canyon as the neck. The “neck” of the lake located in a designated wilderness area in which powerboats, all mechanized forms of transportation, and pack animals are prohibited. From our put in spot to our destination at the end of the guitar’s neck, we have approximately 15 miles to paddle. We hug the shoreline for the entire five hours it takes to reach our destination, not only for safety reasons and the chance to catch a glimpse of some wildlife, but also because I am taking notes and drawing maps for future use. We pass a dozen or so prospective areas for camping on our journey, but they are few and far between as the steep canyon walls throughout most of the lake come right down to the water’s edge. The glaciers that carved this beautiful place over ten thousand years ago didn’t leave many flat areas suitable for setting up camp. The spot we’ve chosen is a level peninsula with a stand of Ponderosa Pines that separates the two creeks that are the lake’s sole water source. The sound of rushing water on each side of the site lulling us to sleep at night and the thought of spending a few of days creek fishing make the choice easy. The site looks perfect, and we point the canoe toward shore. Once we beach the boat and get out to explore, we discover that we are not the first to choose this ideal spot. Beer bottles, fish guts and tangled fishing line litter the shoreline. Sapling trees had been cut down and used as firewood. Bits of litter add bright, unnatural colors to the landscape. After we walk up the hill to the campsite we find tin cans, foil and unburned food scraps in the fire pit. Searching a little further inland we discover the area that the previous residents used as the “bathroom”. Unburied feces and wads of toilet paper litter the area. We decide to get back into the canoe and move on.
Finding a campsite like this in an area so beautiful and pristine literally knocks the wind out of you. I’ve never been mugged before, but I imagine the feeling is much the same. Helplessness, bitterness, anger, and vulnerability all converging in the pit of your stomach at once. Unfortunately, these are emotions that I have been feeling far too often of during my backcountry travels.
As the title implies, I would like to tell you about some of the idiotic behavior that I’ve seen people partake in while visiting backcountry. This will be the first in a series of writings on the subject of backcountry etiquette. In this first article I will discuss what in are in my eyes the top four affronts to “good form” that people commit while recreating the mountains and desert that I love. In future articles on this topic, I promise that I will lighten up a little and tell some truly humorous tales of the stupidity that I have encountered, (believe me, I have some real doozies), but since this is the first, I feel an overwhelming obligation to be stern and unforgiving. Sorry about that.
Pack it In, Pack it Out.
It’s that simple. It’s your responsibility to keep it clean. Not just for the next user, but because it’s the right thing to do. I have found and picked up more garbage left by thoughtless campers and hikers than I care to mention, but I will give you a few of the highlights.
Broken cell phones, broken cameras, used batteries, one shoe but not the other (what, did the owner hop home on one foot?), tents shredded by bears, broken lawn chairs, broken fishing poles, porta potties, clothing deemed to be too heavy to bother carrying home, and of course my all time favorite, soiled diapers. This of course is in addition to the normal trash that people leave behind.
The “Pack it Out” part means EVERYTHING, this includes your cigarette butts and bottle caps. If you can’t abide by that one simple rule, you’re not welcome. Period.
For my fellow Smokers: Field dress your cigarette by pinching the remaining tobacco from the stub and putting the butt in a designated “trash pocket” of your clothing. Better yet, leave the Marlboros at home and roll your smokes the old fashioned way, you’ll smoke less, and you won’t have to deal with those pesky filters.
For my fellow Fishermen: To date in 2005, I have come across one Canadian Goose, and two Coots that were killed by becoming entangled in discarded monofiliment fishing line, and it’s only midway through March. IF YOU HAVE TO STRIP LINE, DISPOSE OF IT PROPERLY! Is that clear enough?
Don’t Feed the Critters
The squirrels and the blue jays will beg you to give them a cracker or a chip. I know that they’re cute when they stand up on their hind legs and they’re staring at your munchies with big brown eyes like they haven’t eaten in a month, but don’t give in. Your Nacho Cheese Doritos are not part of a squirrel’s healthful diet, and once he gets a taste of them, he’s going to forget all about gathering acorns and concentrate all of his efforts on getting handouts from you and other humans. Larger critters, such as raccoons and bears, learn to associate people with food and can become such a nuisance (and threat) that they have to be put down by the authorities.
I have had dozens of bear encounters over the years, and almost all of them have been nothing more than watching their big fuzzy hind quarter’s hightailing it for the trees. Several years ago a bear came into my camp while I was away for the day and destroyed my empty tent. He made himself a nice wide door with his claw, got inside the tent and found nothing but a sleeping bag, then made a nice wide back door with his other claw, and exited empty handed. That night, while I was sleeping in my duct tape repaired tent, the same bear came back and tore up the entire camp in his search for food, and belligerently refused to leave. He knew that we had food, he just couldn’t find it. Needless to say, it was an intense night for everyone involved. Remember, this is learned behavior by an animal that would otherwise turn tail and run when encountering humans.
I have witnessed campers purposely leaving food and garbage out at night in order to attract the bears, coyotes and raccoons. Not only is this extremely dangerous for the camper, but more importantly, it will ultimately lead to the animal’s demise at the hands of a Ranger or some Survivalist wannabe with a .357 tucked in his sleeping bag. The simple truth is that if you feed them, you sign their death warrant.
Side Note: The State of California now issues permits to allow residents to kill “nuisance bears”. The result is well over one hundred sanctioned bear kills each year by homeowners and wildlife officials, and it is due entirely to people giving them food and not securing their garbage. This is not by any stretch of the imagination a “bear” problem, it is a “people” problem, and it is getting worse every year. A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear. Don’t contribute to the problem.
Keep the Water Pure
I have actually seen people walk into a crystal clear, high mountain lake with a bar of Ivory soap and a bottle of shampoo and proceed to take a cold water bath. I have witnessed parents allow their toddlers swim in spring fed creeks wearing soiled diapers. I’ve watched RV’s dump raw sewage into drainage ditches along roadsides. I’ve seen the dead fish, the devastated insect and plant life, and I also have not-so-fond memories of the giardia parasite doing the Fandango in my intestinal tract. The only tactful way to describe the effects of giardia, (AKA, the Gastrointestinal Gallup), is don’t plan on being too far from the bathroom for the next 3 or 4 months.
Clean, pure water is the most important resource we have, and there is only one steadfast rule that you need to abide by in order to keep it that way, and that rule is “All Water is Drinking Water”. Treat all bodies of water with the same respect that give to the water in your canteen. Don’t wash your dishes in it, don’t bathe in it, don’t throw your discarded food or fish guts into it, and don’t let your sewage get anywhere near it. If people could only follow that one simple rule, the fish won’t die, the plants and insects will live long fruitful lives, and I (thankfully) won’t have any more tales of parasitic intestinal discomfort to share with you.
And since were on the topic of pure water, let’s move on to….
Dealing With Human Waste
Taking care of business in the woods is a problem. You might not think it, but just peeing in the woods is a problem if it occurs in the same area often enough. The scent of concentrated urine not only makes your stay less pleasurable, but it will also attract critters looking for a salt fix. Big jobs require a little more planning, and there are two schools of thought for proper disposal. Either dig a cathole,(at least 12 inches deep), and refill the hole when finished, or pack your business out with you the way you would when walking your dog in the park. Which ever method you prefer, don’t be leaving any of those colorful little toilet paper flowers lying around after you’re done. Pack them out with you, or take them back to camp for dignified incineration in the campfire. And always, always, do your work a minimum of 300 feet from any water source, because that’s how giardia gets into the water.
Well campers, that’s it for the first edition of “Stupid Things I See People Do In The Backcountry”. Again I apologize for being so blunt, and I promise to regale you with tales of stupidity that are far more humorous and entertaining in future segments, such as “Why is that Firewood Shaped like an Outhouse?”, “The Strongest Frog In the World” or, ”The Great Duck Rodeo”.
Happy Camping, Mike
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