Whatever your reason may be for hiking in the Alps—health, personal enjoyment, wildflowers or wildlife viewing—you’ll want to do your part to preserve nature as well as enjoy it. Here are our top tips for leaving the Alps as beautiful when you depart as when you arrived:
Use Reusable Containers
Most of the damage that is done to the environment by hikers comes from the trash they leave behind. It’s essential to bring water and snacks when you’re hiking, but you don’t have to leave trash behind. Use reusable snack containers and reusable water bottles for your hike. If you do have packages or trash pack it up and take it with you and dispose of it when you leave the park or the trail.
Stay on The Trail
Another way that hikers damage the environment is by off trail hiking. Hikers can do a lot of damage trying to create trails or short cuts. Always stay on the marked trail. Refer to a trail map, signage and other location waypoints, so that you know where the trail is. If you’re hiking in unknown terrain, take photos of those waypoints so you can find them again if you get off the main trail or get disoriented.
Pack Wisely
If you’re going out for a dayhike or an overnight hike to a mountain hut you will need to bring food and water and supplies with you. Invest in a refillable water bottle to use on your hikes instead of taking plastic bottles. Pack your food and snacks in resealable rigid containers and sandwich bags so that you can leave the plastic bags at home. You can easily find space in a backpack or even a pocket for the cloth bags so that you don’t have a lot of trash to deal with. But any trash that you do have should leave the trail with you so that you can dispose of it in the right way. Don’t ever litter or leave trash on the trail.
Don’t Make A Fire
If you can avoid making a fire you should, especially during the dry seasons of the year when a fire can get out of control quickly. If you do need to make a fire keep it small and only make a fire in a designated fire area where fires are allowed. Never leave a fire unattended.
Leave the Animals Alone
It can be tempting to try and approach wild animals that you see on the trail to get a picture or to try and pet them but remember this isn’t a zoo. Take a picture from a distance if you want but never approach the animals or try to feed them the food that you eat. That food could make them sick. Leave the animals alone and just enjoy seeing them in their natural habitat.
This guest post was provided by www.personalinjury-law.com, an organization dedicated to providing the public with information about personal injury and safety information. Nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice, and it is intended for informational use only.
- Top Ways to Preserve Nature While Hiking in the Alps - July 30, 2020