Photographic meanderings

This is an ongoing series of posts on the principles of Leave No Trace. I’ve received permission from the kid folks at Leave No Trace to lift information wholecloth from their website. It is our duty as photographers to learn, practice and preach Leave No Trace ethics from the mean streets to the back country.

At Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, I pitched my tent in the shade of a stand of trees not far from the tents, but not in the official backpacker’s camp. I was concerned about the location, fearing it was too close to the trail. A friendly back country ranger approached and asked for my permit, which I gladly gave him. “Am I too close to the trail?”, I asked. I was tired, hungry, and the last thing I wanted to do was move my camp. But I would have if asked. I was lucky. “Technically, yes, but I’d rather that you camped on an area that already is impacted rather than on the grass at the official area.” I was safe.

The site was sandy, tucked between a large glacial erratic boulder and weathered pines. It was out of the wind, private, and offered an unparalleled view of Fletcher Lake and Fletcher peak. It remains one of my favorite campsites.

From the Leave No Trace website comes this bit of information:

Choosing a Campsite in High-Use Areas

Avoid camping close to water and trails and select a site which is not visible to others. Even in popular areas the sense of solitude can be enhanced by screening campsites and choosing an out-of-the-way site. Camping away from the water’s edge also allows access routes for wild life. Be sure to obey regulations related to campsite selection. Allow enough time and energy at the end of the day to select an appropriate site. Fatigue, bad weather, and late departure times are not acceptable excuses for choosing poor or fragile camp sites.

Generally, it is best to camp on sites that are so highly impacted that further careful use will cause no noticeable impact. In popular areas, these sites are obvious because they have already lost their vegetation cover. Also, it is often possible to find a site which naturally lacks vegetation, such as exposed bedrock or sandy areas.

On high-impact sites, tents, traffic routes, and kitchen areas should be concentrated on already impacted areas. The objective is to confine impact to places which already show use and avoid enlarging the area of disturbance. When leaving camp, make sure that it is clean, attractive, and appealing to other campers who follow.

Two benefits of camping far from water’s edge are less mosquitos, and less chance of bear incursions in your camp. A final tip for moving about in the back country is stop on the trail to cook and eat your food, then continue on after cleaning up to camp. Bears are attracted to the smell of food cooking, and to any bits of food that find their way to the ground. If you don’t cook in your camp, there’s less chance a bear will visit begging for scraps.

Pardon the portmanteau pun up there: It’s a combination of “Two-heeled Drive“, the name of a blog by Tom Mangan on the subject of–you guessed it–hiking, and the venerable Meals on Wheels program that provides hot meals to elders and shut-ins across America. While neither are the subject of this post, might I suggest perusing them after you read this?

If you plan on going into the back country overnight to take pictures during the magic light hours, two things are really important. Bear-proof canisters, and a good stove. We all have to eat, and that presents a challenge. Of course you might not need a bear canister in some areas; The White Mountains of California are too dry for bears, and so food storage becomes much easier. But in Yosemite National Park, bears are a troublesome reality. You will need a bear canister. You can rent them at the wilderness centers for a flat per-trip fee, and then deposit them in the boxes provided at the centers on your return. Or you can buy your own–google Garcia Bear Canister to find all sorts.

Bear canisters are heavy, and some folks think they can’t carry enough food in them–au contraire, mon frer! The trick to packing one is to repackage your food; sealable storage bags are a god-send to folks headed into the back country. They reduce space, weight, and waste.

Backpacker magazine has wonderful trail menus, with tips on how to repack ingredients!

The Yosemite NPS website has a page on how to use and pack bear canisters, too. Bears and Food Storage While Backpacking

Another item that I highly recommend is a lightweight stove; We’re not talking your family’s Coleman propane stove, but a wide variety of alcohol, butane, or white gas stoves. They pack up small, and take a minimum of fuel to run. Do a bit of research, ask at your local sporting supply store. Nothing beats a cup of instant coffee on a chilly morning in the back country. Creamora never tasted so good!

Planning your meals is an important part of Plan Ahead and Prepare, the first principle of Leave No Trace ethics.

My photographer buddy G. Dan Mitchell is way more dedicated to the light than I am; He’s out and about before sun-up, and waits until the dead-light hours to have his first cup of coffee. Me, I need that kick to get me going before I lift a camera for a shot!

I remember setting up a JetBoil stove with a real coffee pot at the head of our “trail” in Death Valley, before we climbed up for some spectacular shots, and then it was ready for us when we got back down. It was heaven in a green plastic cup, lemme tell you!

This <10 minute video provides a lovely overview of the principles of Leave No Trace ethics. Some great videography, too!

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surface
Dispose of waste properly
Leave what you find
Minimize campfire impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be considerate of other visitors