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The best way to limit your influence on the environment is to not influence it at all. Zero-impact camping is a sure way to make sure that nature will remain as it was before you arrived. To employ no-impact camping, the rules are simple. First, be certain to pack out everything you pack in. All that this means is to that anything you bring with you into the woods comes out with you when you leave. Of course, this can be tougher than it seems since it’s difficult to bring your excrement out of the forest with you. Of course, no one really expects you to do this either. Zero-impact camping does require that you dig a latrine to certain specifications though. Leave-No-Trace© Ethics states that, “solid human waste [should be deposited] in catholes dug six to eight inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails.”* When you leave, these catholes should be filled in, covered, and then made to appear as if no human activity had taken place.
When washing dishes or yourself, it is best to do this the same 200 feet away from streams, etc., and only biodegradable soap should be used. I toss the dishwater in the same cathole as excrement, but LNT ethics say to “scatter strained dishwater.”* As for other trash and waste, of course, you take out of the wild whatever you brought with you. Toilet paper, hygiene materials, food products, should all leave with you.
Fires impact the environment and if you are striving for the Zero-Impact Camping choice you should not build one. A good way to avoid the lasting impacts that fire can inflict on the surroundings is to cook on a camp stove. If light is the issue, lanterns and floodlights are useful to illuminate your campsite instead of a fire. When you cook, make sure you clean up any spilled food as best you can and always be careful with your fuel. Spilled fuel and food are probably worse than building a fire, but if you are careful and have no problems you will leave no impact whatsoever on the wilderness.
As for setting up your camp itself, you shouldn’t clear foliage at all. If you arrange pine needles or leaves into piles for tents, scatter them before you leave. Never blaze a new trail even if that means simply avoiding that big puddle in the middle of the existing trail. Obviously, respect the wildlife. Don’t feed, abuse, harass, or follow them around. Anything you do to the animals can affect how they live and act and ruin their natural state of existence. It’s best to avoid any interaction with them unless they become threatening. If this happens, try to leave the area first; if that fails, attempt to scare them off; and if that doesn’t work then you will have no choice but to defend yourself as best you can.
Minimal Impact Camping
Camping with minimal impact differs from Zero-Impact Camping in that it allows for you to build fires, dispose of certain waste in the backcountry itself, and have an outdoor experience without self-consciously analyzing every move you make. For the most part, not much changes from the Zero-Impact Camping experience.
The first major change is the allowance of fires. Of course, it is best to minimize the effect of a fire on nature, so always construct your fire in an existing fire ring, pit, or mound. Use only dead ground wood for your fire and try to keep it small. Never break braches off of trees; and, since dead wood burns better anyway, this is a good idea for minimalists as well as practical people. Be sure to extinguish your fire completely and to scatter the ashes thoroughly.
The nice thing about having a fire is that it enables you to dispose of certain waste without packing it out. Cardboard, paper, most foods will burn away completely. Burning garbage of this nature eliminates the need to pack out some trash and affords campers the opportunity to dispose of spilled foods in a way that is convenient and will not attract animals.
When camping with minimal damage to the environment, it is best to cover your tracks rather than not make tracks at all … metaphorically. You should still dig a cathole for your functions, but the solution to pollution is dilution. If you are a male and need to urinate you don’t need to go crazy and spin around to dilute the amount of urine in one place, but it’s good to keep the basics in mind. Clearing a little foliage to build camp structures is usually not a way to minimize your impact, but it is alright to do so if you disassemble them before you leave. Just remember not to take to liberally from the surroundings, for if everyone did that, the campsite would get bigger and bigger every time people were out and eventually it would be campsite than forest.
Having Fun
The main idea of all this is to have fun, but leave the place so that others can have the same fun you did. Just be respectful and responsible when you go camping. Use your common sense when it comes to situations you are unsure of how to face. Just because there are names for “Zero-Impact” and “Minimal Impact” camping, doesn’t mean there is a classification for “Destroy the Forest and Be a Huge Jerk” camping. No matter what, it is best to practice one of these two forms of camping. The only exception would be the kind of “camping” that happens in cabins with bonfires, etc. These types of camping practices are intended to reach the audience of backcountry campers. Whenever you are in the wilderness, strive to keep it wild. And, remember, have fun!