The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping

by Guy Waterman, Laura Waterman, Bill McKibben (Foreword by)

Overview

"A classic of backpacking literature" (Backpacker), now updated with a brand-new foreword by environmentalist and best-selling author Bill McKibben

Originally published as Backwoods Ethics in 1979, Laura and Guy Waterman's definitive guide to low-impact hiking and camping was a prophetic call to reevaluate the impact of outdoor recreation on the wilderness. Enthusiastically received by environmentalists and wilderness managers at the time, its warnings and advice are now more relevant than ever. With wisdom and gentle humor, Laura and Guy Waterman present a strong case for the importance of respecting the natural world while you're enjoying it. In his foreword to the new edition, world-famous environmentalist Bill McKibben puts the Watermans' advice into context for today's world. Day hikers, campers, and backpackers who follow the sensible techniques laid out in this book will help preserve the wilderness experience for generations to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581575316
Publisher:	Countryman Press, The
Publication date:	06/07/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Wilderness Ethics was Guy Waterman’s most determined and philosophical statement. He died in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Laura Waterman is co-author of several books with her husband, Guy. She lives near their original homestead in Vermont.
Bill McKibben is the author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, among other titles; he is the founder of 350.org, which in 2010 organized what CNN called “the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history.”

Table of Contents

Foreword Bill McKibben xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

I Hikers; Who Are We? 1

1 That Pack on the Back: Mae West Vs. Twiggy 7

2 Backpackers' Favorite Lies 14

3 Peakbagging 20

4 The 2,000-Mile Community on the Move 35

5 Winter Camping Idyll 48

6 The Greatest Walkers of them All 62

II The New Ethic 79

7 The Coming of the Lug-Soled Army 85

8 Cleaning Up Our Act 95

9 Low-Impact Hiking: Of Boots, Mud, and Grandmothers 105

10 Low-Impact Camping: Swinging in the Woods 112

11 Low-Impact Cooking: The Fire Goes Out 120

12 The 46ers 128

III Toward a Sense of Stewardship 137

13 A Day in the Life of the Nuts 144

14 Trail Tending 153

15 Seven Days in April 160

16 To Save a Mountain Flower: Preserving Alpine Areas-A Three-Part Saga 170

Saga 1 The Physical Component 172

Saga 2 Education Above the Trees 182

Saga 3 Making Two Blades of Grass to Grow 194

17 Rock Climbers and their Environment, 1970 200

IV Four Unresolved Impact Issues 211

Case Study 1 Low-Impact Bushwhacking 215

Case Study 2 Man's Best Friend-or Menace to Wilderness? 228

Case Study 3 Rock Climbers and Their Environment, 1990 236

Case Study 4 Winter Camping-Tracks in More Than the Snow 243

Epilogue 251

Selected Bibliography 253

Index 257

Editorial Reviews

With ultramarathoners popping champagne corks atop Katahdin, and smartphones seemingly standard backpacking gear, we need to read Laura and Guy’s Backwoods Ethics more than ever! An essential book for those who camp and wander in wild places.

Robert Alden Rubin - On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage

"With ultramarathoners popping champagne corks atop Katahdin, and smartphones seemingly standard backpacking gear, we need to read Laura and Guy’s Backwoods Ethics more than ever! An essential book for those who camp and wander in wild places."

On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage - Robert Alden Rubin

"Although information and ideas now flow through our society more easily than ever, it still takes continuous effort for new understanding to settle in. Over the past generation, we've seen more and more backcountry travelers who have adopted the concept of low-impact camping and hiking. The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping is just this type of positive force for cultural change. Our forests and mountains have a brighter future thanks to this clear and understandable work by Laura and Guy Waterman, two legends of the northeast mountains."

Director - Baxter State Park - Jensen Bissell

"Nearly four decades after its groundbreaking appearance, "Backwoods Ethics" remains as relevant today as it did when the Watermans first wrote it. How do we reduce our impact on the backcountry when we're all so busy "connecting" via smart phones and tablets, when so many of us seek greater and greater challenges in the outdoors? The Watermans don't just ask us to minimize our impact — they cajole and question us with humor and with love — love for the backcountry and for all of us who use it."

Former U.S. Forest Service Recreation and Wilderness Specialist - Rebecca Oreskes

"For those who venture into the back country to hike, climb, or camp and have true reverence for the bountiful beauty they find there, this book is a must read."

Tom Wessels - The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future

"If you care about wild places, this book is for you. Not only does it provide specific recommendations and techniques for minimizing impacts to our shared backcountry, it also, and perhaps more importantly, encourages each of us to explore our collective role as stewards of the natural world around us. As more and more people venture into the outdoors for solace, renewal, challenge, fellowship, or solitude, the cumulative impact to the land is undeniable. However, each of us can put our own personal stewardship ethic into action, and The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping provides for us the foundation and knowledge for making a real difference for the future of the places we cherish."

Ben Lawhon

"The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping is part how-to, part meditation, and part history. The authors, with subtle humor, take the reader on a profound adventure into the woods. We learn how to keep the mountain world the way we found it, and how to inspire others to step outside and explore the wild."

Lucas St. Clair - AMC Guide to Winter Hiking & Camping

"The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping is part how-to, part meditation, and part history. The authors, with subtle humor, take the reader on a profound adventure into the woods. We learn how to keep the mountain world the way we found it, and how to inspire others to step outside and explore the wild."

Author - AMC Guide to Winter Hiking & Camping - Lucas St. Clair

"For those who venture into the back country to hike, climb, or camp and have true reverence for the bountiful beauty they find there, this book is a must read."

Author - The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future - Tom Wessels