Читать книгу Sierra South. Backcountry Trips in California's Sierra Nevada онлайн

14 страница из 140

Carry Out Your Trash

You packed that foil and those cans and bags in when full; you can pack them out empty. Never litter or bury your trash.

Sanitation

Eliminate body wastes at least 100 feet, and preferably 200 feet, from lakes, streams, trails, and campsites. Bury feces at least 6 inches deep wherever possible. Intestinal pathogens can survive for years in feces when they’re buried, but burial reduces the chances that critters will come in contact with them and carry pathogens into the water. Where burial is not possible due to lack of enough soil or gravel, leave feces where they will receive maximum exposure to heat and sunlight to hasten the destruction of pathogens. Also help reduce the waste problem in the backcountry by packing out your used toilet paper, facial tissues, tampons, sanitary napkins, and diapers. It’s easy to carry them out in a heavy-duty, self-sealing plastic bag.

Protect the Water

Just because something is “biodegradable,” like some soaps, doesn’t mean it’s okay to put it in the water. In addition, the fragile sod of meadows, lakeshores, and streamsides is rapidly disappearing from the High Sierra. Pick “hard” campsites, sandy places that can stand the use. Camp at least 200 feet from water unless that’s absolutely impossible; in no case camp closer than 25 feet. Don’t make campsite “improvements” like rock walls, bough beds, new fireplaces, or tent ditches.