Exploring The Great Outdoors

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I mentioned in a previously posted article, “Share My Excitement,” that I would be attending the National Youth Science Camp. Well, I’m back, and it was everything that I expected and more! The 3.5 week stay in the middle of the Monongahela National Forest (without any cell service, I might add) truly brought all of the campers close to each other, but more importantly, to nature. I greatly enjoyed many of our outdoor activities, and will certainly post a few articles about the specific experiences I had doing the various outdoor activities such as rock climbing and kayaking. However, before I am able to describe those experiences, it seems essential to write about a policy that the National Youth Science Camp took very seriously: leave no trace.

Naturally, as outdoor fanatics, we respect nature. We wouldn’t leave an aluminum can behind on a trail, or mark rocks with graffiti. Before camp, I wouldn’t think twice about leaving some crumbs on a campground. They decompose, right? Yes, they do, but before they get a chance to do that, they will attract some animal, and that animal might assume that the campground is a natural place for it to come and find food; as you can imagine, this can cause problems.

And what about throwing an apple core or an orange peel into the brush? Would you do that? Before tossing something, one needs to ask himself or herself, is this something that naturally grows here? If the answer is a no, then it should be put into a trash bag that he or she carries out of the area, even if it decomposes. The general rule is, “Pack out what you pack in.”

Another thing to note is that, when one comes across a muddy area on a trail, the best thing to do is trudge through it, not around, as unpleasant as the idea might be. Going around the mud causes the trail to widen, increasing our infringement upon nature.

“Leave no trace” means more than not leaving any plastic behind; it’s about trying to prevent even the slightest disruption in nature.