I always griped and groaned as a 13-year-old Boy Scout when it came time to pack up at the end of a camping trip. Not because we had to leave, but because we had to do “The Sweep.” The Sweep involved every Scout and Scout leader spreading out evenly and walking at a glacial pace, eyes glued to the ground, searching for any piece of refuse or trash. I loathed it because it delayed us heading home and grabbing a delicious road meal at McDonald’s or some other fast food joint.
What was the point, anyway, I wondered? It’s not like one candy wrapper was going to make a difference – or so I thought.
Now, I realize that the onus for maintaining our environment falls on everyone who uses the outdoors. No one knows that better than the stewards with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The trail sees roughly 4 million visitors each year.
“The cumulative impact of all of our visitors is why we all need to follow Leave No Trace,” says Marian Orlousky, northern resource management coordinator for the trail.
Last year, the killing of two bears following an attack on a hiker exemplified this. The first bear was mistaken as the problem bear and put down before officials found and euthanized the actual problem bear. Both deaths could have been prevented; it was suspected that food waste and improperly stored camp food attracted the bear to human habitation, leading to the attack.