Backpacker – September 2019

Dear Bender,

Well, unless some park

employee or volunteer

picked up those empties,

they’re definitely still out

there (aluminum cans take

hundreds of years to

dec ompose). We hea r t he

remorse in your letter, but

still have to point out that

you should secure all of

your trash before going to

sleep, no matter how

trashed you might be. In

addition to littering, you

could have attracted some

local wildlife to your

campsite. Bears and other

animals like beer (maybe

as much as you do), and can

sniff out your empties.

Also, reading between the

lines, it doesn’t seem like

your campsite was 200 feet

from the creek. Unless it’s a

designated site, you’ll need

to choose a better spot next

time. Booze and the

backcountry can mix, but

do so responsibly. Happy

hour shouldn’t become a

sad day for wildlife and

other hikers.

DO THE RIGHT THING

Remember those park

volunteers who (hopefully)

cleaned up your mess?

Welcome to their ranks. Join a

river cleanup; if you pick up six

cans for every one you left,

you’ll feel better.

Got an LNT confession?

Email confessions@

backpacker.com.

For more information about

reducing your impact, visit

LNT.org.

LEAVE NO TRACE CONFESSIONAL

CAN-DO ATTITUDE

“Some friends and I polished off a 12-pack of beer while

camping near a creek in a national park. We left the

empties on the bank and went to bed. Torrential rain

fell during the night, causing the creek to rise. I woke up

to find all of the cans had been swept away. We hiked

downstream to look for them, but no luck. I feel terrible

about it.”–Backcountry Bender

JAMES DECKER

Fuel Made

Simple™