unwritten rules of responsible boondockers

[SoulRaven]

Though most of us are responsable, there are new Boondockers coming on board weekly... So these well written, unwritten rules, will go a long ways in keeping us free and welcome in our little hidey holes around the country... Thanks to Boondocking News for this great info...<br><br>""If you don't boondock, you might think that when you are truly boondocking--camping out away from any hook-ups or other amenities, not in a campground, and on free public lands--you also don't have any rules to follow.<br><br>Not so--though there are those who do not follow the rules and that hurts the rest of us. The rules are loosely defined, aren't hard to follow or unusually restrictive, and generally don't infringe on or detract from the boondocking experience. <br><br> <ul><li>Pick a campsite away from others. Most boondockers, until otherwise determined, value their solitude and privacy, and prefer not to have neighbors close by. </li><li>Upon arrival, walk the site with a bag and pick up any man-made trash left behind by previous campers. Just do it and don't fret about it. It won't take you long </li><li>If you build a campfire, anything that will not burn to ashes, carry it out. </li><li>Find ways to hang things other than driving nails into trees. </li><li>Keep your campsite neat. Put things away when not in use. Nobody wants to see all your stuff scattered about like a yard sale in progress. </li><li>Pick up only downed and dead wood for a campfire. Chopping limbs off trees or uprooting bushes to burn is something only clueless teenagers would do. </li><li>Think safety when building a campfire. Scrape all debris several feet away from your fire and keep your fire small. Build a rock ring or dig a depression to contain the fire. </li><li>If you dump the gray water from dishwashing and rinsing, wipe all food bits off everything with a paper towel first. Always use biodegradable soaps. Dump gray water on thirsty plants or bury in a hole away from your campsite. </li><li>When you leave, your campsite should appear as if no one had been there, just the way you would like to find your next boondocking site. </li><li>Remember that the way others--hikers, off-road wanderers, officials--see your site is the way all RVers are seen. Set a good example, that of a responsible, environmentally-aware, and conservation-minded steward of the land. It's good for all of us. And thank you for doing so.""</li></ul><br><br><br><br>

 

[Journeyman]

Very well said.

 

[Kisatchieman]

<P>Amen, SR!<BR>I might add that&nbsp;flame type lanterns do horrible damage to living trees if hung next to the bark. The heat cooks and kills the bark and soon you have a circular rot hole forming on the side of the tree. Really unsightly and damaging to the tree, but easily preventable. Leave a space of several inches between lantern and bark. </P>

 

[Les H]

I have always practiced " leave no trace". Thanks for the reminder, though!

 

[sl1966]

Like!<div><br></div><div>I read something similar before ... Leave behind only tire tracks.</div><div><br></div>

 

[Guest]

Take only pictures, leave only footprints.<div><br></div><div>Lotta good stuff there.</div>

 

[Ravensoracle]

Amen, SR!<br>I might add that&nbsp;flame type lanterns do horrible damage to living trees if hung next to the bark. The heat cooks and kills the bark and soon you have a circular rot hole forming on the side of the tree. Really unsightly, but preventable. Leave a space of several inches between lantern and bark.&nbsp;<br>

<div><br></div><div>I have found that a cheap way to hang the lantern is with a simple plant hanging hook you can get from most home&amp; garden stores. Something like this one.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Panacea-89017-Branch-Black-36-Inch/dp/B000HA7P9C/ref=pd_sim_ol_1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Panacea-89017-Branch-Black-36-Inch/dp/B000HA7P9C/ref=pd_sim_ol_1</a> </div><div><br></div><div>It's only a few bucks and you can easily shove it in some out of the way place til you need it.&nbsp;</div>

 

[judycmomx6]

There are alot of people coming from the cities to live in they're RV's right now and it's going to be very important for everyone to try really hard to do this, cause if we don't the places we used to think of as being out in the country, will soon turn into nasty, dirty mini cities. Look at how many RV's are in the Q right now. It's going to be very interesting to see what that area's going to look like when those people leave. I hope the area isn't ruined by the time I finally get to go there. Also, look at what parts of slab city looks like, I would hate it if the whole desert started looking like that. Everyone needs to remember to do these simple things to keep our country beautiful.

 

[Kisatchieman]

If you have no limb to hang your lantern from, here's a&nbsp;hanger to use to prevent heat damage to trees. <BR><BR><A href="http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Lant...ods&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1329648123&amp;sr=1-5" target=_blank target=_blank>http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Lant...ods&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1329648123&amp;sr=1-5</A>&nbsp;<BR><P>If you're a DIY personal just make one from wire and string to save some $$.</P>