PATC Trail Patrol: Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Overview
What difference does it make if you toss a cigarette butt or drop an orange peel or pick a flower? Imagine 300 million cigarette butts or 300 million orange peels or . . . no wildflowers. Sound like a place that you would like to visit?
Leave No Trace is an outdoor ethic — a way for all of us to understand the impact that our actions have on our backcountry areas and a way for us to think about ways we can modify our behavior to minimize our impact on the areas we love and want to keep wild. At the heart of Leave No Trace are seven principles for reducing the damage caused by outdoor activities. Leave No Trace practices and principles extend common courtesy and hospitality to other backcountry visitors and to the natural world of which we are all a part.
Classes
Trail Patrol offers a number of Leave No Trace classes throughout the year that teach the skills of Leave No Trace and how to share this information with others. Our Leave No Trace Trainers Courses meet The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics standards and certify participants as national LNT Trainers. These courses are designed for those who want to better understand Leave No Trace (LNT) skills and outdoor ethics and to help others understand their impact on the backcountry. Students have an opportunity to learn about the impact of their choices when hiking and camping, to practice minimizing impact and gain confidence by helping others understand LNT skills and ethics. All classes use hands-on skills as we teach each other about LNT principles and practices.
After completing the course, students will be certified as Leave No Trace Trainers, and it is our hope they will be willing to give LNT presentations to community groups when and if their schedules permit.
When you register for a class, you will be asked to verify that you have read, understood and agree to the following waiver:
Some Leave No Trace Trainer Courses involve backpacking. Backpacking is a strenuous activity and involves a certain amount of risk. Backpacking involves travel on uncertain surfaces, camping in primitive conditions, and exposure to the forces of nature. There is a possibility of injury or illness in locations where there is no quick or easy access to medical facilities. It is up to you to make the final judgment as to your ability to undertake a class that involves backpacking and your willingness to take any risk of injury or illness that may result from participating in the class.
Your participation in this class amounts to your agreement to assume all risks and liabilities related to or resulting from this class. By participating in this class your are agreeing not to hold the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, or any of its leaders, officers, employees, or representatives, liable for any injury, loss or damage to yourself, to members of your family, or to your property arising from the class.
Our 2018 schedule:
April 7-8, 2018 -
Class Full: Contact tplnt@patc.net to be added to the wait list.
June 9-10, 2018 - cabin camping format
click here to register
September 15-16, 2018 - cabin camping format
click here to register
October 6-7, 2018 - backpacking
click here to register
Participants must be at least 18 years old.