Exploring the Grand Canyon & Leave No Trace

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Welcome back to another episode of a True Good Beautiful Life! Today, my friend Lindsey Habegger of Chaos Thriving and I will be discussing the amazing and breathtaking Grand Canyon for both our TRUE and BEAUTIFUL segments of the show and afterwards for our GOOD portion of the show,  I will share with you the seven principles of the "Leave No Trace" concept, which will help us be better stewards of God’s creation as well as better humans to one another.  Charlotte Mason believed that traveling and enjoying nature were wonderful ways to learn and appreciate the wonders and glory of God. What better way to do this than to explore the Grand Canyon!

"The Leave No Trace" website and the "52 Week Hike Challenge" website both have helpful articles on the seven principles of "Leaving No Trace," used when you are hiking or camping.  The principles include the following: 1) Plan Ahead and Prepare, 2) Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, 3) Dispose of Waste Properly, 4) Leave What you Find, 5) Minimize Campfire Impacts, 6) Respect Wildlife, and 7) Be Considerate of Other Visitors. There is a lot that is involved in each of these aspects of caring for the places we visit and so I encourage you to check out either of these websites for further information. 

I do want to highlight a few that I found interesting: 

With regards to Principle #1- Plan ahead and Prepare: Be prepared by bringing the 10 essential hiking items: fire (matches, fire starter), first aid, insulation (extra clothing, layers), sun protection (lip balm, sunscreen/sunglasses), knife (other tools/repair kits), illumination (headlamp/flashlight), navigation (map/compass), nutrition & hydration (extra food and water), and an emergency shelter (bivy, blanket).

With regards to Principle #2- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: you’ll want to look for a spot that is Resilient and Resistant and at least 200 feet away from any water source, like a lake, stream, or river. These include: hard soil, rock, snow, gravel, dry grass, and a built platform.

Other tips with traveling on durable surfaces:

• Walk On the Trail - if you take shortcuts, you can hurt the microsoil and vegetation and damage the ecosystem. 
• Hike Single File - try not to make the path wider than it is
• Camp On Established Camp Areas– search for a place that looks like a tent has already been there, such as noting a flat area that has been cleared of rocks and branches

With regards to Principle #3- Dispose of waste properly: for human waste, dig a cathole at least 80 steps away from your campsite, water source or trail and try and find a sunny spot as the light will help break down the waste faster once you’ve done your business and covered it up. Seal up your used toilet paper and pack it out. There are also particular rules about using soap and disposing of trash and dirty water, so be sure to look those up.

With regards to Principle #5- Minimize Campfire Impacts: It’s easier and safer to use a camp stove instead of a campfire as not all places allow you to have a campfire

With regards to Principle #7- Be considerate of other visitors

• Downhill hikers yield to uphill hikers.
• Hikers yield to equestrians.
• Mountain bikers yield to equestrians and hikers.
• If you're mountain biking, be courteous by announcing your presence.
• Use a soft voice when addressing equestrians as horses can spook easily

Some of our favorite resources:

• 52 Week Hike Challenge
• What are the Leave No Trace Principles? article by Brianna Flores
• Leave No Trace: The 7 Principles 
• Frommer's Arizona & Grand Canyon (Complete Guides) book
• The Ultimate Visitor Guide to the Grand Canyon - Everything You Need to Know by "Scottsdale Travel Chic" YouTube channel
• The BEST of the Grand Canyon - 17 Things To Do by "We're in the Rockies" YouTube channel; they start with their visit to Las Vegas so you may want to skip over to their main section on the Canyon
• More Than A View - Grand Canyon in Depth, Episode 1 by the Grand Canyon National Park; there are several episodes in this series that you can watch

 . . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174 

1. If you can schedule a trip out to the Grand Canyon, go for it! It is something spectacular to see! If you can't, try watching some of the videos listed above to see what it is like.
2. For a fun school project, have your kids draw out a large map of the Grand Canyon with all the various sights and landmarks and interesting facts and stats around the edges that they researched. They can even decorate the border with Native tribal designs, drawings of the local flora and fauna, and photos printed off at home.
3. Put together a hiking backpack that contains all of the 10 Essentials supplies for hiking and keep in the back of your car for spur-of-the-moment adventures!