Dispose of Waste Properly
Backcountry Journeys guides will always place importance upon disposing of waste properly. While this one seems like a ‘no-brainer,’ nearly everyone reading this can likely think back to a time when you found trash on the ground during a visiting a National Park. Yet, no one reading will likely admit to leaving trash behind. That is because left-behind trash is nearly always accidental. Yes, there does exist a small cross-section of society who will leave trash on purpose, assuming it is someone else’s responsibility to pick up after them. But, likely there really aren’t that many folks out there who believe and do that. A large portion of the trash we see in our natural world was left by accident. The water bottle we set down “just for a second” in order to snap a photo, and then forget. The corner of our granola bar wrapper that we peeled off and then put in our pocket that later sneaks out when you put your hand in that pocket, not feeling it. This is all trash that needs to find a trash can, not the bottom of a creek bed. Attention to this is essential, and we preach this often during tours. Along those same lines, have you ever witnessed a park trash can overflowing with garbage? Yeah, it is not uncommon. For the most part, Backcountry Journeys will self contain our trash while visiting our National Parks so as to lighten that load.
Leave What You Find
Leaving all that is found is sometimes tough (because your grandson would really like to have a commemorative rock from the Grand Canyon), but necessary. The Grand Canyon receives over six million visitors in a given year. Can you imagine the impact should every one of those six million people take a rock home with them? The Canyon would be even deeper than it is now! Preservation for the enjoyment of future generations is an important segment of the National Parks mission statement. Conservation is another. Both of these things require compassion and cooperation from visitors. It is really basic if you think about it. Leave everything as you’ve found it. Again, take with you only photographs.
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.