Being One With Nature
Aug 24, 2020
"Buzz – Buzz!" (A silent pause) Buzz – Bzz (Another beautiful moment of silence). My room is dark and comfortably cool. I am snuggled deeply between my sheets. I'm not ready to roll out of bed yet this morning. My friend would say, "It's the crack of dag-nab-it!". I have waited eagerly for this day. This is the day a small group of us will meet at the trailhead, face masks in our pockets readily accessible if needed, and will walk socially distanced up the trail. Boots on the Ground!
As I arrive at our designated trailhead, I see my friends pulling into the parking lot one by one. It seems like an eternity since we have hiked together. I quickly don my boots, grab my hip pack and trekking poles, stuff my face mask in my pocket, and walk happily to join my friends. There are only 4 of us (I have to keep the group small due to COVID-19 restrictions), but that is ok. It is great to be together on the trail today. After our traditional photo (with masks in place correctly) at the trailhead sign, we start our walk, single file, up the trail. This is genuinely our place of comfort, our safe zone, our grounding, and our peace.
As we saunter along the trail, we occasionally stop to take pictures lots of pictures. We share stories of our mandated "safe at home" time. Sometimes, we break for snacks and rehydrate while others wander into the trees for "potty time." Going off the trail and away from the water source to find the right spot to go potty in the woods is a natural and essential behavior. What is NOT natural or correct is to leave toilet paper "hidden" under a bush or thrown under a few leaves. One of the first of my "Laws of Being One with Nature" is to LEAVE NO TRACE! There are few, if any, things more disgusting and potentially more unhealthful than to be exposed to human excrement.
Essential Gear Rule #1: Carry toilet paper AND Ziplock baggies to remove all used toilet paper from the trail. Everything you carry in must be carried out. You may dig a cat hole with a trowel or the heel of your boot at least 6 inches deep and bury biodegradable waste. But, all else must be packed back out. That includes not leaving food, i.e., apple cores, orange peels, wrappers, etc." for the wildlife." By leaving scraps, you have just contributed to the death of a bear by teaching it to get food from humans rather than from the sources provided by nature. Pack it out, please.
We finish our water and snack, break our "essential" break, and continue up the trail. As is much of the Great Smoky Mountains today, our trail is historic, with many relics and talking points along the way. One such landmark is an old cabin and barn built in the 1800's. The feeling of standing on the ground where the Cherokees hunted and farmed the land, where the early settlers built their cabins, schools, and churches, seeing the now ancient trees that the Cherokee had shaped to point out the directions to water or the next village, or even the way north to battle the Iroquois can be mind-boggling. In ways, it is like walking on sacred ground.
We drop our packs as we walk in the footprints of our forefathers. With sudden disappointment, we walk inside their cabins and see the initials of two young lovers carved into the antique, hand-hewn mantle. "Billy B. loves Sara S." On the stone wall of the fireplace, pictures and more initials are etched with charcoal from campfires: "Joey was here in 2018". I don't care who Joey is or was, nor do I care that Joey was here at any time! Sue takes her bandana out of her pack and starts wiping and washing the graffiti off the stones. How can someone be so rude as to deface this beautiful piece of history?
200-300-year-old trees stand stoically outside the cabin against the blue skies. But, another site, a sore site, the carving of names and hearts into the giant trees. What does it take to be respectful and honor our history?
Dolphin's Essential Rule #2: LEAVE NO TRACE! It is not a grand accomplishment to carve your name with the name of your "girlfriend for the day" into a giant old tree or to draw or write graffiti on the stones of log cabins or fireplace mantles of historic homes. Your only reward is a hefty fine, along with your arrest.
We clean up as best we can, taking any trash left by the vandals with us. When we return, we will report the mess and show the photos to the Rangers at the backcountry office.
We leave the cabin and go up the gradually narrowing trail. We carefully navigate a 'washout' caused by heavy runoff from this season's rains. The original trail is slick, rocky, and full of root "toe grabbers," making our hike more hazardous. We see that previous hikers have stepped off the trail and are wearing out a new trail beside the designated original one. We hold our position even if it slows our progress so as not to damage the already stressed path.
Rounding the bend, we come to a bald area covered with wildflowers bursting with red, orange, yellow, and blue colors. This is the perfect place to sit, relax, and eat lunch. We doff our packs and unbag our lunch. We sit on rocks and logs while maintaining social distancing as we eat, talk, and watch the big fluffy clouds form animals in the sky.
When we leave this place, we will take everything we packed with us. We will Leave No Trace. We will take only our photos. Our memories will be our footprints to keep moving on.
Til next time, Happy Trails! Remember to walk your Peace and stay connected.
Dolphin
Here are some Leave No Trace Tips recommended by the National Park Service:
- Never cut switchbacks.
- Pack out whatever you pack in. Never leave any food, trash, personal items, or equipment.
- Do not bury any trash.
- Dispose of human waste properly.
- Dig a cat hole at least 6 inches.
- Deposit human waste in the hole, throw in a small handful of leaves, or duff over the hole.
- Keep at least 100 feet away from camp, trails, or water sources.
- Never go behind a shelter or near a spring. Doing so creates unhealthful conditions and may result in campsite or shelter closures.
- Sanitary pads and tampons must be packed out of the backcountry.
- Never deposit trash, including wipes, sanitary pads, or tampons in backcountry privies.
These items interfere with composting, making the privy smell very bad. Ultimately, the items must be dug out of the privy by hand.) So, let's do the right thing and pack this item out!
For more information on the principles of Leave No Trace, visit www.int.org.
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