Hiking is one of the best forms of exercise that has countless benefits for your physical and mental health. Finding peace and mental clarity in nature while completing a high intensity workout is one of the best ways you can care for your body – but how can you care for the environment at the same time? It is important to hike and enjoy nature in a way that is sustainable and does not cause harm to the terrain you are enjoying.
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Here are a few eco-friendly hiking tips that every hiker can incorporate into their lives.
Explore Popular Hiking Destinations During Off Season
To help local guides who aid tourists in their hiking excursions and assist them with other needs, like the Sherpas at Everest Base Camp, try to plan a hiking trip during what would be considered the off season of a popular destination. This will not only reduce crowd sizes meaning less wait times and a smoother overall hike for you, but this will help to ensure that helpful locals are earning a living year round and continue to preserve their local land while ensuring the safety of tourists.
Bring A Garbage Bag
It should be obvious that you should avoid littering when hiking. To avoid having to carry around garbage in an inconvenient way, many expert hikers recommend carrying a small bag with you that can collect trash, which will then be disposed of (and hopefully recycled) when you are home from your hike.
Don’t Stray From Trails
Trails are created not only as a helpful guide to hikers, but as a way to lessen the disruption of a natural ecosystem. This is one of the most effective and important ways to reduce your negative impact on the environment while hiking, so that you can enjoy nature while leaving it as you found it.
Do Not Disturb
Although it might be tempting, please refrain from taking rocks, picking flowers, or otherwise disturbing the natural environment that you are exploring. Also, do not feed animals or disturb them in any other way. Even if your intentions are good, these things can cause more damage than you might expect, so when it comes to exploring nature during a hike, please look but don’t touch.
