Mastering "Leave No Trace"

LNT, Inc. has gained widespread acceptance in the outdoor community since registering as an educational non-profit in 1994. The Boy Scouts have a Leave No Trace merit badge, the principles have become an integral part of NOLS courses, and its symbol—two swirls coming at a center dot from opposite directions, symbolizing pack-in, pack-out travel—has become a familiar bumper sticker on many kayak-topped SUVs and Subaru Outbacks. It is evident that Leave No Trace ethics are a valiant effort to spread the message of responsible recreation, but the cynic inside of me keeps wondering whether or not these practices have a lasting effect.

Nobody with a TV, radio, or newspaper can escape the reports of global warming, population growth, and acid rain. My windstopper fleece is made of petroleum, my boots are part cow, and my car pollutes the earth. What good is traveling on a durable surface when the government wants to build a highway through untouched National Forests? In the face of all these mounting disasters, are LNT ethics akin to shoveling snow with a teaspoon?

I sheepishly raise this concern with Peggy, not wanting to rock the boat."I think it's the best solution we have for reaching the people who care to listen," she tells me after collecting her thoughts. "It's an idea designed by people who agree that these lands need to be protected. Maybe we can't stop the big companies and big governments from being destructive, but for me it's not about that. I teach this stuff because this way we can reach the people who want to help. Most people who adhere to this kind of thinking want to know how to save the places they love."

This reminds me of my first meeting with Jonathan Milne, the man with the Navy gig. While receiving the aforementioned mountain of LNT literature, we introduced ourselves and explained why we wanted to learn to teach LNT. I remember his words because they sounded a bit too austere, a bit forced. "I'm here because I want my son to have the opportunity to play in the same places I've played in these past 20 years. I want him to see this wild country while it's still wild." His words originally had the effect of campaign rhetoric, but after five days of hearing Jonathan go on about little Noah William, I know that he isn't running for office; in fact, he rarely runs anywhere. He walks mostly, stopping frequently to examine a flower, check his field guide to identify a bird, or scope a new crag to climb.