Leave No Trace

Nothing annoys us more at Disce Pati, than seeing our outdoor spaces littered with broken glass, tin cans, plastics and other waste that not only ruin how we all experience the wild, but also directly endanger our wildlife.

Today we went on a short hike, to scout a new area and we were shocked to see an all too familiar sign of unwanted visitors. No true BushCrafter or WildCamper would ever leave any sign of where they've been, never mind leave their waste behind, so in this case it was likely to be young people drinking and lighting fires (not that we have anything against that, if they're doing it safely and are of course legally).

We're not here to 'police' or tell people what to do, it's not our style. We're confident our comrades wouldn't dream of making a mess either, so we really just wanted to continue to raise awareness of outdoor ethics and the mantra of 'Leave No Trace'.

One of the things we do to help is to always carry a bin liner wherever we go. It's small and light to pack, helps us contain any of the small amount of waste we have and gives us space to grab anything else we see lying around on our way out.

We don't think we have to do this, but similar to the 'broken windows' anecdote from Mayor Giuliani from New York once described, an area is much less likely to see crime (in this case litter) if it doesn't exist in the first place. We'll always have idiots, but this will help deter those who consider leaving their waste, if they don't see any other evidence that it's socially acceptable.

Today we saw broken bottles, beer cans, plastic bottles; and more shockingly balloons, which we felt were all a threat to the natural habitat surrounding the area. We don't hold any authority here, but can understand BushCraft WildCamp structures, but that's where we draw the line.

We've always found land owners and authorities to be supportive of WildCampers, as they typically keep fires low, safe and controlled and Leave No Trace when they move on; and so we ask that we keep that great reputation and even contribute to the cleanup where we can, to make it easier for WildCampers to move freely in their adventures...and let's face it, who wants to ruin a place like this...