Important rules to follow when hiking in nature reserves

I’m Jim Feldkamp. I love photography. One of my favorite subjects is nature, which is why I spend a lot of time in nature reserves and hiking trails.

Image source: vox.com

Last weekend, my buddies and I went out to the local hiking trail at the outskirts of our county. What we saw saddened all of us. There was trash on the trail – more trash than usual, and we found it rather disturbing since we’ve been hiking here for years and have never seen this many plastic bottles.

Because of this, I would want to take this opportunity to remind each and every hiker and future hiker about the important rules to follow when hiking in nature. These rules exist for a reason, and following them may ensure that the whole ecosystem survives for our children to enjoy.

Image source: impact-on-acadia.weebly.com

First of all, throw your trash in the trash bins. If there are no trash bins nearby, keep them, and bring them along with you until you reach a campsite, where there are surely places to dispose of your garbage. Plastic bottles and bags can harm the local wildlife as well as the plants around.

Never leave a trace. Whatever you bring into the park, take it out as you leave. This also means leftovers. Human food may be harmful to animals in the area. Don’t forget that.

Don’t bring pets. Domesticated and wild animals don’t mix well, I don’t care what Disney movies say.

Finally, stay on your trail. Trails were made to keep hikers safe. Wandering off from your trail may have disastrous consequences for you.

Hi! I’m Jim Feldkamp. I love hiking and photography. Learn more about me and the stuff I love here.