The Green Hiker

Hiking trails and all our outdoor resources are impacted by decisions made in response to climate change. An occasional topic post, today’s installment peeks at the eco-friendly (or not) happenings in New Hampshire.

The next three excerpts present opposing reactions to Gov. Lynch’s Climate Change Task Force:

• Observed Climate Change in New Hampshire …. In December 2007, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed an Executive Order calling for the establishment of a “Task Force…

• The green police state coming to New Hampshire …. John Lynch created the New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force to work in conjunction with DES to develop policy options designed to address global warming. The DES, in turn, hired a global warming alarmist group called Carbon …

• Global warming deniers aim to hold New Hampshire back …. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has struck a climate change task force to craft an action plan with the goal of finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are good for the state’s economy. Great news for New Hampshire, …

Yes, New Hampshire does have an ocean coast line:

• Project to Help NH Coastal Communities Adapt to Climate Change …. New Hampshire Estuaries Project launches program the help coastal communities adapt to climate change.

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Newsletter …. A useful resource

Please comment if you have any climate change insights from a New Hampshire point of view.

Now Go Outdoors!

People who live in urban environments sometimes seem to forget why they came to a wilderness area to hike: peace and quiet, and great scenery. To enjoy that themselves, and to allow others to, hikers generally adopt a few common sense guidelines.

‘Pack it in, pack it out’ is a long-standing rule among fair-minded hikers. In order to leave the area much as you found it, for the sake of others and your own future enjoyment, you should not leave what you brought. That includes water bottles, trash and other items.

Even fragile toilet paper can take weeks or months to deteriorate. If you use it and it’s recommended to take a roll along, and can’t dispose of it in a container, it should be buried. To pack it out, a simple plastic bag will contain odors until it can be disposed of in a container.

Proper Poop!

On that subject, if you have to urinate in a wilderness area (as opposed to supplied facilities), do so at least 100 meters away from water sources and trails where others walk. Feces should be eliminated into a small hole well off the trail and covered with dirt.

Part of the deep pleasure of hiking is enjoying the peace and quiet. There are plenty of exciting things to do in the city that involve making loud noises. Hiking trails are not made for that purpose. Respect others and keep your voice down and ride motorcycles elsewhere. Happily, with the advent of iPods, loud music is much less frequently a problem these days.

The Locals

Make an effort to find out what the local regulations about camping and fires are. It’s preferable not to start a wood-based or open fire, in any case. They can easily spark and spread, even by accident. Once they do, they’re extremely hard to stop before becoming a major problem.

If you plan to camp, set up in an open area and use a Coleman or other similar stove to cook food. When you’ve finished your stay, don’t leave behind anything that won’t decay within a day.

You should take similar efforts when you fish or do other activities that often accompany hiking. These activities can be enjoyed by large numbers of people almost indefinitely if a little moderation and common sense are applied.

Avoid wildlife to the extent they avoid you. Some even more - bears or mountain lions, for instance. Animals are particularly wary during mating seasons and when rearing young. Otherwise docile creatures can become fiercely protective and aggressive when pressed. Some may have diseases that can be spread to humans. Watching is enough. If you want to touch, go to a petting zoo.

Bears, mountain lions, skunks and others should simply be avoided. Bears are not always the gentle creatures that some nature documentaries depict. They normally avoid humans, but have been known to kill and eat them. Large cats, too, will eat small humans. Though normally shy, they are predators. Don’t be prey.

Exercise common sense and common courtesy and everyone, you first and foremost, can enjoy your hikes now and in the future.

Now Go Outdoors!

These backpacks use solar energy to keep cell phones (think hiking crisis) and other electronic gear fully charged. About three hours of sunlight on this outdoor gear should provide one hour of power.

The Voltaic backpacks use fabrics made from recycled soda bottles.

Voltaic Solar Battery Charger Backpack

If you’re on the go or have a kid who is, look at the Voltaic solar battery charger backpack. The solar panels on the Voltaic solar battery charger backpack connect to a battery to charge your iPod, cell phone or laptop. The Voltaic solar battery charger backpack comes with a phone adapter and a USB adapter so you can charge your batteries and gear.

Eclipse Solar Gear - KVUE Inteview

KVUE TV news clip interview about Eclipse Solar Gear’s innovative solar backpacks and solar chargers.

Hiking trails and our backpacking experiences may be severely impacted by decisions made in response to climate change. In this occasional series, we’ll peek at the eco-friendly (or not) happenings in each state. Today:  Wyoming.

Living Within Your Climate

Since then, I saw people in South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California all trying to grow the same grass lawns that people try to grow in Minnesota. Those grasses don’t grow well in Minnesota without significant watering, …

Wyoming Solves Climate Change With Coal. Wait, what?

A team of researchers from the University of Wyoming says they’ve created a carbon capture device capable of trapping 90% of CO2 at low cost. Traditional attempts to suck CO2 out of emissions are expensive due to the cost of materials …

Wyoming Considers Climate Change

More than 130 biologists, scientists, policy-makers, sportsmen and members of the media came together in Cheyenne on Monday, June 16 to learn more about climate change and how it could potentially affect Wyoming’s resources. …

USGS study tracks climate change’s effects on wildlife in Wyoming

A two-year US Geological Survey will use satellite imagery and information obtained from scientists’ field operations in Wyoming to track what effect, if any, climate change is having on elk, moose, mule deer and pronghorn antelope. …

Climate Change Effects on Wyoming Rangeland Part of Cheyenne Symposium

8, 2008 — How climate change may affect rangelands and the scientific background for making management decisions for the long-term sustainability of grazing systems will be presented during a September symposium in Cheyenne.

Wyoming has the right to preserve special places

Casper Star-Tribune: As gasoline prices continue to rise, Americans are changing their opinions about how to solve the current energy crisis. A Pew Research Center report in February found that 35 percent of the public wanted to expand …

Now Go Outdoors!