Leave No Trace LNT for Old Rag

LNT in my blog is short for Leave No Trace.

All three organizations that I volunteer for on Old Rag (SNP, ORMS, PATC TP) are supporters, practitioners, and trainers of LNT.

For those that are new to LNT it is both a system of outdoor ethics and an organization whose primary mission is to foster outdoor ethics.
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The LNT organization focuses outdoor visitors on seven main principals that are summarized below. Keep in mind that these seven principals should be applied with individual judgement and common sense. They are principals not laws or rules. That said, a lot of thought has gone into crystallizing current thought on outdoor ethics into these seven concise but comprehensive LNT principals.

The LNT organization provides material for use in learning or teaching outdoor ethics. It continuously improves and maintains a standardized education program including the supporting education and outreach materials. LNT also oversees the LNT Trainer certification process for the purposes of making sure that LNT outdoor ethics are being taught in consistent high quality ways.


ADVICE LNT

Learn and practice outdoor ethics as presented by LNT.

The link to the LNT organizations web site is:
http://www.lnt.org/index.php

The Seven LNT Principals Are:

The following copyrighted language has been reprinted with permission from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www. LNT.org.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups.
Repackage food to minimize waste.
Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.


Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.
In popular areas:
Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
In pristine areas:
Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

Dispose of Waste Properly
Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.


Leave What You Find
Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Minimize Campfire Impacts
Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

Respect Wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises

Sat/Sun August 29/30 2009

SATURDAY AUGUST 29, 2009

A busy upper lot just before the start of my Saturday circuit of Old Rag.
Turned out to be a pretty day.

Nice clouds.

The upper Ridge Trail had some pretty flowers. This is a great shot of the species but truth be told I took this picture on a back-road near Woodville on my way to Old Rag. I believe this is Giant Sunflower.

Earlier I had said that I believed that flowers contained in these two pictures were the same species. I believe I was wrong. I think that the flower above is a Giant Sunflower and the one below is a Woodland Sunflower. The flowers look very similar but the one above was growing over ten foot tall in a road side pasture the the one below was under a sparse tree cover and was only about 2-3 foot tall. The following shot was taken just below the Skyline Wall on the upper Ridge Trail. While not as prolific as the riot of flowers on the Giant Sunflower plants there were several hundred of these flowers along one fifty foot section of the trail.

These little tiny ants were having a feast on a dropped Goldfish cracker.

Sunset from the summit of Old Rag.

LNT IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE
OOPS in the picture below it would seem a Girl Scout must have missed the Leave No Trace lessons. Her mirror case and lots of little broken pieces of mirror were litter items I picked up off the trail. Actually the individual who dropped this item was probably not aware that it had been dropped. Subsequent individuals who saw it and or stepped on it probably should have picked it up.

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Even rabid practitioners of LNT make mistakes. Often they are individually unaware of their mistake. At other times there is a collective unconsciousness that their current behavior is unethical. For example, were the first climbers up Everest doing anything unethical when they left empty oxygen bottles or even dead companions high on Everest? Today, climbers of Everest are judged with a different standard. Twenty years from now the standard will be different than today's. Do you consider the early human artifacts left on the Moon or Mars unethical behaviour? Yet there will most likely come a time when it will be considered inappropriate to just willy nilly leave junked space vehicles on the Moon or Mars.

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It is not unusual for individuals new to the outdoors to either not understand or not be good at practicing proper outdoor ethics. Yet with time, these novices will often turn out to be the best practitioners and strongest advocates of outdoor ethics.

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We all continuously impact the resources we cherish. The most we can hope for is to lessen the amount of that continuous impact and to make sure that the benefits received warrant the cost. Starting a forty acre wildfire deep in the Alaskan wilds may be appropriate if it is the only way to save a human life. With hind sight would it not have been better to clear cut Mt St.Helens before it disappeared? Despite my good intentions this blog will have unintended negative consequences for Old Rag. Do the benefits outweigh the costs? There are an infinite number of grey scale variables to be weighed. I have come to the conclusion that it is usually best not to get too judgemental of your own or others decisions/actions related to these complicated questions.

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Before finally getting to the picture below, it should be said that I believe that despite the many mistakes made by inexperienced scouts and their volunteer leaders, that in the end the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts organizations and their members provide overwhelming good toward the advancement of outdoor ethics.

ADVICE ABOUT HEADLAMPS

ONE REASON YOU WANT TO USE LIGHTS WHEN WALKING IN THE PARK AT NIGHT!

On my way out in the dark under headlamp I encountered a very pretty young Copperhead crossing the Saddle Trail. When I first came upon him he was sitting on top of this rock right in the middle of the trail. By the time I got my camera out he had slipped behind the rock. Double click picture to zoom in and see his little head peaking up.

A better head shot after he moved on up the bank on the side of the trail.

You are a good looking little guy. Glad I did not step on you. Bye, bye so long farewell.

Sunday August 30, 2009

I only did an up and back to the first false summit. Looking up the rock scramble just before sunset.

Some pretty orange mushrooms spotted on the way out. This orange reminds me the Old Rag Mountain Stewards will be on the mountain next weekend wearing their orange tee shirts with the Old Rag Trillium blaze. You can obtain one of these tee shirts by joining the Old Rag Mountain Stewards.

ORANGE FAIRY CAPS

Sunset from near the no camping sign on the Ridge Trail.

Sunday, June 21, 2009 Fathers Day and Solistice

Sunday, June 21, 2009 Fathers Day and Summer Solstice

I have two daughters I am equally proud of Meghan and Sarah. One has a blog:

http://www.unitedstatesofsarahlook.com/

Great weather, seventies breezy with big cumulus clouds.

In the picture below, there are two different parties lead climbing on Old Rag Summit. Most of the climbs on Old Rag are of higher grades and leads can be pretty bold. It takes a lot of knowledge and effort to enjoyably climb on Old Rag. It would not be unusual for climbers to miss out on a large part of their climbing day just to hike in and find the start of their route.

Imagine:

You hiked uphill with lots of climbing gear for over an hour before you have even started your bushwhack.

You can hear the hissing of a rattlesnake in brush so thick you can not see your feet.

You just spent an hour bushwhacking trying to find the base of your climb.

It seems like every branch in the park is getting snarled on your pack.

Your exposed skin is branded by spots of red inflammation caused by stinging nettles, abrasive rock, swarming bugs.

Among these frustrations some crazy people in orange grabbed you aside to remind you about Leave No Trace.

AND YOU THINK

YA RIGHT! I JUST WANT TO BAG MY CLIMB AND GET AWAY FROM ALL THE BAD STUFF ON THIS MOUNTAIN AND IF I TRAMPLE A FEW STUPID WEEDS OR HAPPEN TO LEAVE AN EMPTY PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE THAT THE WIND BLEW OFF THE CLIFF TOUGH. THIS IS REAL SURVIVAL STUFF. REAL WILDERNESS IS SURVIVED NOT PROTECTED BUDDY!
(Note: My satire is over the top and there is actually some correctness within the above. The early settler who killed the rattlesnake in his back yard to protect his toddlers has my extreme respect. The person who was in a 747 crash in the wilderness and did normally unethical things to survive has my respect. If someone in your party just sustained a life threatening injury than your priorities must change. There are no black and white rules, it is all fluidly changing with hundreds of variables. You truly have the lead. The Bridge and the Conn(authority for ship's control) in Navy parlance. The person on scene who on a moment by moment must make the best judgement they can.)

BE A PROUD MAMMAL THAT NOT ONLY BOLDLY STRIVES AND SURVIVES BUT DOES IT WITH SOME STYLE AND CLASS BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BRAIN WHICH ALLOWS IT.

HYPOTHETICAL STYLE SCORES FOR A DAY IN VARIOUS OUTDOOR ORGANISMS' LIVES (IN MY OFF -THE-CUFF, TONGUE-IN-CHECK WAY):
NEWBIE HIKER WHO ALMOST DIED BUT WHO IN THE END DID OKAY (ALL THINGS CONSIDERED) 7.5.
(Despite: The fact they left accidental impact.)

RAVENS ON THEIR BAD STYLE DAYS 8.
(I have a huge soft spot for ravens.)

RATTLESNAKES (who just brutally killed the mouse) 7
(Note: This reflects my prejudice against death not so much the snake's style).

LEAD CLIMBERS WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON A GREAT DAY 9.1.

LEAD CLIMBER WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND ON A BAD STYLE DAY 1.5 .

MAMMALS IN GENERAL ON BAD SYLE DAYS 1.8
(oops upon appeal 5.5)

PLANTS ON BAD STYLE DAYS 8.5

GROSS PAIN INFLICTING NOTHING GOOD TO SAY FOR THEM STINKY BACTERIA 9.0
(After all how much control over style can a bacteria be scored on.)

SUBURBAN COMFORTABLE NEWBIE HIKER WHO PURPOSELY AND UNCARINGLY LITTERS 1.5

GOD (9.99...... ) out of 10
(Everyone can improve).RATTLESNAKES, RAVENS, EARLY SETTLERS AND HUMANS THAT ARE NEW TO THE OUTDOORS ARE JUDGED WITH DIFFERENT HANDICAPS THAN YOURS. I ALWAYS EXPECT MORE OF BOTH MYSELF AND CLIMBERS.
PLAN AHEAD BE PREPARED

BE SURE TO CLIP INTO YOURSELF

WHEN POSSIBLE APPLY GRACE, STYLE. CLASS


Old Rag is a precious climbing resource. For certain types of climbing it is the only resource within a few hours drive of mid-Atlantic climbers' homes. Obtain Betta, read up, talk to climbers who know the mountain well, scope out what Old Rag is about and carefully and thoughtfully use it for the reasons it is unique. If everyone pitches in the climbing experience on Old Rag will be much the same twenty years from now as it was twenty years ago.

Once understood and approached appropriately, the bad and survival stuff fades to obscurity and the precious and aesthetic stuff crescendos to the forefront of importance. For yourself and the rest of us celebrate life, boldly explore, protect your safety but go a step further and do it responsibly, cleanly and with style.

Note: A January 2009 blog entry has additional climbers advice.






Below are some Old Rag Mountain Stewards involved in some ascending training.
In my opinion our simple orange T Shirts are simultaneous emblems of EXTREME PRIDE and ABJECT HUMILITY (like any other symbols assumed by practitioners of responsible formal ethical systems.)
On this wonderous day a beautiful multi-spectral beatle was accidentlally fatally injured by the MOST caring of responsible stewards who was trying to celebrate its magnificence in a photograph for the world to share. In a flash of a moment before the accident I was conscious of the danger and did not warn fast enough.
Another steward concerned about pain versus quality of life took the beatle's life and ended its suffering.
On almost everyday I am on the mountain I am concious of things I did but should not have or at least could have done better. A branch unintentionally broken or a centipede accidentally stepped on.
Perfection strived for but life is messy, mistakes are made.
How do I judge my actions?????
Who am I to even judge actions?????
When do you turn off reflection and just live????
Even simple can be complicated????
DAO DE JING
Let Go
FORGIVE YOURSELF
ROAR IN CELEBRATION OF LIFE FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOPS !!!!



An idyllic June day at Byrds Nest


Double click on the picture and the rattlesnake is still very hard to see. From the end of the big sawn off log look down to the rock on the trail below and see if you can spot the Rattlesnake.



Lots of amazing nature.

While not pictured here we received an amazing amount of botanical/nature training. Living large on a wondrously great solstice/father's day.
Red Admiral Sitting On The Trail Near The Summit