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Backpacking
Backpacking is not the same as Hiking. Hiking can be for half an hour or longer but when you are talking days then it is technically referred to as Backpacking, which involves Hking , Camping, Wilderness Survival Skills and possibly Climbing or Canyoneering.
Some of the most popular backpacking trails are covered under our Hiking page, which defies the description we just gave you regarding the difference between the two forms, but Hiking was covered first and it seemed like a good place to put the info at the time. Because Backpacking normally takes place over extended periods of time, most of the things we take for granted at home must be accommodated somehow on the trip. Washing, Bathing & Keeping Clean Swim away and downstream from camp. Do all bathing, clothes washing and pot scrubbing well back from the shores of lakes and streams. Prevent pollution by keeping soap and detergent out of all waters. How to keep clean with a small amount of water? Well, first, you can't worry about staying too clean out on the trail. Here is a suggestion: Take a bowl of warm water and a baby wipe. Start with your face and work your way down. Use a backcountry towel for both a washcloth and a towel. You can even dry your hair with them. When is it safe to drink wilderness water? All wilderness water taken out of streams or wilderness sources should be treated through either filtration, purification or boiling. We have a section devoted to nothing else but the pursuit of drinking water. Some of this can be employed in a Backpacking trip and if you are the outdoors type then this is required reading. This is from our SURVIVAL section which could be the single best source for the rugged outdoors person. Clean up and garbage How much do I really have to "carry out" when I go backpacking? Everything. Burying garbage is no longer acceptable. Park and Forest Services prohibit digging pits. In most areas soil is too shallow: animals and the elements expose the garbage, and erosion starts. Burn everything you can burn. Pack out everything that won't burn--cans, bottles, old clothing, foil and large pieces of plastic. Cans can be carried out most easily if both ends are cut out, and the cans washed or burned and then flattened. Many backpackers use zip-lock bags to carry in food and supplies. As you consume food, convert the bags to garbage bags for your wastepaper, toilet paper and sanitary supplies. Make sure your waste is securely stored, or even double-bagged, so it does not leak or spill onto food or clothing in your backpack. Double check for litter--bits of paper on the ground and clothing left hanging on the trees. Leave your campsite cleaner than you found it. If you have the energy and initiative, carry out any other trash you find. Stoves What kind of fuel should I use? Butane is light, clean and requires no pumping or priming to produce an instant flame and is good for summer use. It's easy. Plug a cartridge into your stove, turn it on and light it. Use white gas or unleaded fuel in the winter. This fuel is inexpensive and produces a lot of heat for those campers in the winter who melt snow for drinking water. Don't store fuel in your stove's tank for extended periods and replace your fuel every season. Fuel should be drained at the end of the season or burned off to prevent impurities from clogging the fuel lines and burners. Stoves should be carried above the timberline and all areas where wood is in short supply. The least possible damage is done when stoves are used. They are clean and do not scar a fragile campsite.
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