The Green Hiker

Obviously, with all our family outdoor activity, there’s been little time to update this blog in a consistent manner.

But with summer behind and cool, colorful Fall ahead, our plans are set for reinvigorating this journal.

Each month we’ll embark on a virtual hike along a different trail. Maps, photos and highlights. And, of course, our slant remains greener footprints.

You can expect more hiking gear reviews, safe hiking tips, and environmental news affecting outdoor hiking, backpacking and camping venues.

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The India arm of the World Wide Fund For Nature has initiated The Green Hiker project to encourage responsible tourism throughout the entire Himalayan ecosystem.

Battered by both baggage-toting tour groups and climate change, the Himalayan mountains and wetlands struggle to maintain their high altitude identity.

The Green Hiker Campaign simply encourages all involved to help reduce their tourism baggage.

Of course, anything brilliantly named The Green Hiker has to be eco-friendly.

Photo by swamysk

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The Big Agnes Salt Creek Recycled Tent earned Backpacker Magazine “Editors’ Choice 2009 Green Award”. This 2-person, three-season tent uses 100% recycled materials (including the reflective guy lines and plastic clips). Without any toxic dyes, this green tent is a somewhat shocking white.

The Salt Creek is not just some eco-friendly experiment or “paean to green”. You’ll want to pack this tent from windy Spring through chilling Fall. The Big Agnes is a 3-season camping workhorse. From the Backpacker Magazine’s review :

“Wind and rain whipped the Salt Creek on trips from high-alpine Colorado to the peaks of northern Wales, and everywhere the green construction proved both durable and weatherproof”.

Specs:

• Packed weight 6 lb 12 oz
• Floor area 36 sq ft
• Head height 38 in
• Single side door with vestibule
• Recycled zippers
• 2 mesh floor pockets
• Hub/pole design makes set up easy
• More specs and features
  

Click here for more info on this great Big Agnes Recycled Tent!

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Are you a dedicated green hiker or backpacker looking for additional eco-friendly info and insights?

One place to start is Backpacker Magazine’s Green Guide. This compilation places a link list under three categories:  Featured Stories, Nature, and Gear.

So … here comes Super Poison Ivy? (Under the “Nature” category.)

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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.

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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!