Leave No Trace

The more time I spend climbing, the more educated I become with all things outdoors. I was never really a hiker in my adolescent years so I was never taught about preserving the world around me. Of course I was never the type to throw my trash in the woods. I know that would be wrong, but I have learned to be more conscious of my surroundings. I try to pick up all my garbage when I get outside, especially when I am climbing. I hate it when I hike to a new climbing spot only to find empty beer bottles or lots of broken glass. In some ways that just ruins the beauty.

There is an outdoor organization called, Leave No Trace, which promotes the preservation of our surroundings. In fact, I learned this weekend when you go hiking, climbing, mountain biking, or the like that you should pack everything out with you. I always assumed that meant I needed to bring all my belongings back with me and any garbage that I made. However, to be truly preserving the natural environment you should also pick up any food particles (apple core, gum, or banana peel) and all feces...yes, if you pee you should pack it out! That's pretty hardcore.

This past weekend I went on a climbing trip with Boulderin' Boyfriend to the New River Gorge. It was the weekend of the New River Rendezvous and we were asked to represent Sportrock at a dealer's clinic on Thursday and Friday before the big climbers weekend. We left right after work on Wednesday night. Both of us were excited for the long weekend away from work and days filled with climbing. When we finally arrived it was well into the night at 11pm so we set up our tent and crashed until the morning.

The next morning after a nice breakfast provided by the Petzel clinic we were set to climb with all the demo-gear. There was a group of about 16 climbers and we drove off to Sommersville. I had never climbed here before and I always get nervous when I am around different climbers, so I was afraid that they would all climb better then me. They certainly looked experienced with their scruffy hairstyles and labeled clothing. Whenever I get nervous it makes me want to pee. It is just a reaction. I can't help it. So after hiking to our climbing destination I went pee about three times. It is a good thing I didn't know about packing up "waste" because I think I would have run out of room for all of it!

As all camping trips include, I also had the wonderful experience of going poop outdoors too. Now, it is not the first time I have had to do this, but it is not my favorite thing either. Being that I have had to do this once before (with only two napkins) I have learned to bring along a little bit of toilet paper. By mid afternoon I was ready to pull out the toilet paper and find myself a little secluded spot away from the trail. As I was thinking about making this personal trip I was actually belaying for Boulderin' Boyfriend. When he finished with his climb, I was going to make my move. It was a tough climb for him so I was at the bottom of the rope for a while. I happened to hear a conversation between two couples climbing next to us. They were talking about their dogs and some of their disgusting habits. The conversation was more of an after thought as I was watching Boulderin' Boyfriend finish his climb, but maybe I should have been listening more intently.

Soon enough I was able to make my way off the trail to a nice little spot in the woods. I "popped a squat" and "did my business" feeling quite happy to have the whole process over with when I headed back to belay for Boulderin' Boyfriend again. Now this was before I was educated about packing out my mess. Apparently my feces would not fit with the natural environment. Since I didn't know that at the time I should also mention that I didn't know that I should have buried my poop. That would be a smart thing to do and it would help keep animals away whom might want to make a closer look. I might not have been educated in all this, but I was still able to leave no trace.

You see, about fifteen minutes after I got back to climbing I noticed that one of the dogs was playing around. He was running all over the place. He ran up the trail, off to the water, and then down the trail. I didn't think anything of it when he wandered back up the trail in the same direction as I headed only moments earlier. It wasn't until he sprinted past me that I noticed a strange odor. It almost smelled like poop. I once had a dog that ate her own poop so immediately I worried that this dog had done the same thing. In fact, that is exactly what Boulderin' Boyfriend thought too. We sort of shrugged it off as we heard the dog's owner command that the dog sit down. He didn't sound too happy.

Since we were the last climbers in that area from our clinic we moved on to the next destination. When we were hiking out we saw the dog's owner throwing a stick into Sommersville lake trying to persuade the dog to jump into the water. Apparently he had not eaten my poop, but had decided to roll in it! He was going to pack it out for me. I guess his owner didn't like that idea. In fact, we just happened to see that same dog and his owner that night and I could see that the dog was still wet. I felt bad to have caused their dog to jump in the lake five hours before. I assumed the dog was cold because the dampness had not dried. However after talking with his owner I learned that they had to buy some shampoo to get the smell out! I guess I pack a hefty punch! Although it is a bit embarrassing I have to laugh because it taught me a lesson to be better at leaving no trace.

I don't think I will ever be the type to pack out my personal waste (I'm part of nature too, right?) I think it is important to try and bury what I can. So that is what I will do from now on, but for this particular experience at least I can say, I left no trace.