by Pamela Kay

Created on: March 02, 2009   Last Updated: March 11, 2009

The ethics of backpacking can be summed up in two short phrases, "Leave it as you find it" and "Pack it in-pack it out" no matter where you backpack. Doing so, helps preserve what is left of the wild, pristine beauty of our earth for the generations to come. How do you accomplish this? Here are some suggestions.

*Pack Out What You Pack In Or Use It Up

If it ever crosses your mind that one little bottle or candy wrapper can't hurt much, consider how the area would look if everyone thought that. Would you even be here then or would you find it too littered for you? Consume or carry out everything you carried in, that's the #1 rule.

Yep, that even means those personal hygiene products, which you can carry in a sealed baggy until you reach a disposal area or your next camp where you can burn it. Leaving your trash behind mars the beauty of the beach, mountainside or desert you are hiking through.

*Play It Safe With Fire

The best idea for cooking is to carry a small stove and fuel, but if this is not feasible, clear an area down to bear earth, dig a small fire pit and surround it with rocks. Burn only those branches, found on the ground that can be broken by hand. Never leave even a small fire unattended. Before you move on, scatter the cooled ashes, refill the hole and replace the leaves that were there.

*Protect Our Rivers And Streams

Keep your campsite at least a hundred feet from the water and don't put soap or shampoo in the water and never, never, never urinate in a stream, pond, lake or river. Walk away from the water for at least two hundred feet to bath and wash dishes with biodegradable soap. Take care of your business in a hole at least six inches deep, cover, and disguise the spot. In the same way, dispose of any fish bones or hides and bones of any animals you snare to eat.

*Don't Cut Or Scar Trees

Never drive a nail or knife into a living tree. It is the same as you cutting your skin, it allows disease to enter the wound and the tree may die. It also mars the natural beauty of the landscape. If you want to practice tossing your knife, do so with dead-fall.

Gather only dead, fallen trees and branches for your fire. Never cut a tree down in the wild even if it's dead as it may be the home of many wild creatures. Let nature takes it course without your help.

*Keep To Established Trails When Possible

Don't take shortcuts when there is an established trail, even if it's not well maintained, don't widen it by walking around a little washed out spot or some mud. It's

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