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Colorado Hiking

Hiking ethics, courtesy and good sense.                      

Hikers have responsibilities to the land, its wildlife and to other people. Some of the following rules were created because the effects of just one person can be great. For example, a campfire which starts a forest blazing. Other rules exist because cumulative effects from numbers of people can be so damaging, like littering for instance. The idea is to leave no trace (or as little as possible) of your ever having been in the area.  

Avoid hiking off existing trails 

It's rarely necessary to hike off trail. Also, on trails with switchbacks, don't shortcut the curves. When you make a new path on steep slopes, you encourage others to follow it until the vegetation is tramped down and removed. During subsequent rainstorms, this can result in serious erosion problems that can damage the trail as a whole.

Pack it in and pack it out.

Carry a plastic trash or store checkout bag to take up your trash until you get back to an area with trash cans.

Properly dispose of what you can't pack out. Human waste and food leftovers should be buried at least 200 feet from streams, water bodies and trails.

Minimize the impacts of fires.

Campfires are usually not something you should bother with when hiking.  Many forests in Colorado are just full of dry kindling waiting for an excuse to turn into a full-fledged forest fire. If you plan to heat something up during an outing you are best off carrying a small fuel stove versus messing around with a campfire, especially if the wind kicks up.  Also, there are certain forest areas and fire alert conditions that strictly prohibit open campfires and the onus is on you to be aware of these situations. People who cause forest fires wind up with a nightmare legal situation, possibly both civil and criminal, often involving both the Federal and State systems.

Using campfires on a hike is best restricted to the rare emergency situation in which you desperately need to get warm and dry your clothes.  Otherwise, forget it.  The thing to remember if you have to make a fire is that  mineral soil and rocks don't burn, but ground cover, overhanging branches and root systems will.  If you are using a cook stove, it is also a good idea to set it up in a place with bare soil or on a rock, with a minimum of 10 inches of nonflammable surface around the stove in case some fuel is spilt.

Leave what you find.

You will sometimes come across old cabins and mines or other features of interest. You should leave them as you find them and not collect souvenirs. Also, old mines are dangerous - they're a lot more unstable than natural caves.

Close fence gates.

In some areas the Government leases out lands for cattle grazing and fencing is used to contain the animals. In other cases, you will accessing public lands by going through private property. Leaving a gate open allows livestock to go where they shouldn't, sometimes causing environmental damage, and it creates a lot of unnecessary work for ranchers. Any fence gate you go through should be immediately closed.

Don't trespass.

Nobody likes strangers going on their property without invitation or permission. Keep an eye out for trespass signs and respect them. Sometimes these signs go up after the owners have experienced damage from vandals, and they may be downright hostile towards you if you're caught on their land.
 

Be ready to help others if they are in need.

If you come across somebody in distress in the wilderness, you cannot ethically just walk off. This could be frustrating if it means disrupting a long planned trip, and sometimes it's the person's fault for not preparing or using good sense. Nevertheless, if somebody is injured or in peril, you have an ethical obligation to help, and/or notify the authorities.  

 

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