Leave no trace

LEAVE NO TRACE.

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational, non-profit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide.

Inka Expeditions and their guides believe that education is the best means to protect natural lands from recreational impacts while helping maintain access for recreation and enjoyment. Therefore, we take Leave No Trace ethics and practices very seriously. The mountains are like our home and we are unwilling to sacrifice their preservation for human objectives.

We believe that, given the proper information, most people will do all they can to protect and maintain the environment. As guides, we spend time showing the environmentally appropriate Leave No Trace principles and practices. It is an amazing experience to reach into the mountains and contemplate an incredible view, having the feeling that no one has ever been there before. However, nothing is more disappointing than working hard to climb a mountain, reaching a site and encountering trash, food waste, toilet paper or any kind of rubbish.

Therefore, we recommend you to read the seven LNT principles below to join us in our commitment to protect our environment.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
-Define your trip itinerary and objectives by researching relevant information including: route conditions, avalanche danger, weather forecasts, and local permits and regulations.
-Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, emergencies and self-rescue.
-Determine the strategy for your team’s food and fuel consumption, and for waste disposal.
-Choose an appropriate route that suits your team¹s size, ability and experience. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends.
-Repackage your food into reusable containers or bags.
-Carry and know how to use a map, compass, altimeter, route markers and, possibly, a global positioning system unit.

Travel and Camp on Safe, Durable Surfaces On Trail
-Focus your activities on durable surfaces, including: established trails, deep snow, rock or inorganic soil. Avoid vegetation, thin snow cover and organic soils.
-Establish an appropriate route up the mountain, taking into consideration the team’s safety and Leave No Trace principles. Plan your route with the idea that others will follow.
-Whenever possible and safe, remove route markers during your descent.
At Camp
-In high-use areas, use established campsites. In pristine areas, minimize your impacts by breaking down constructed snow walls and wind breaks.
-Use man-made tent anchors (ice screws, axes, poles, etc.) whenever possible. Replace any rocks or other natural anchors where found.

Dispose of Waste Properly
-Pack It In, Pack It Out. Pack out everything you carry with you including garbage, trash, and extra fuel. Trash left at altitude or in crevasses does not biodegrade. Whenever possible, remove others’ discarded waste from the mountain.
-In high use areas, use established restroom facilities. Otherwise, pack out solid human waste via "blue bags" or other techniques. If packing out all solid human waste is not possible due to trip duration, refer to local protocols on how to dispose of human waste.
-Designate a "clean snow" area (up slope from camp) to serve as your water source. Focus your activities and waste disposal sites away from this area.
-Consolidate liquid human waste in a designated urinal down slope from camp and away from the designated water (snow) source. Consider using a "pee bottle" in camp to facilitate disposal. When traveling, step off the trail to urinate, so others won’t have to hike through yellow snow.
-Dispose of gray water (dishwater) in a designated sump hole down slope from camp. Strain the dishwater and pack out all leftover solids.

Leave What You Find
-Leave all rocks, plants, animals and historical or cultural artifacts as you find them.

Minimize Campfire Impacts
-Always carry a lightweight camp stove. Adequate wood is generally unavailable on mountaineering expeditions, making fires infeasible and inappropriate.

Respect Wildlife
-Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
-Never feed wildlife or leave food behind to be eaten.
-Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely. Anticipate changing weather conditions by marking your cache.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors
-Communicate and cooperate with other teams.
-Yield to uphill climbers by stepping off the route onto a durable surface.
-Avoid unnecessarily clustering campsites whenever possible.
-Take rest breaks off the route, away from other campsites, and on a durable surfaces.
-Let nature’s sounds prevail. Keep loud voices and noises to a minimum.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information and interesting in preserving our environment. Please, feel free to contacting us if you have any questions about it.