The original source book for the minimum impact movement

books:


	• Backwoods Ethics: A Guide to Low-Impact Camping and Hiking Laura Waterman, Guy Waterman Countryman Press, 1993 - 280 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Must-Read for Northeast Outdoorspeople

Laura and Guy bring life and humor to what can certainly be an unpleasant topic for hikers and users of our woods: wilderness protection. Read this, but do not dread it.. this is not a dry presentation of credos that is going to tell you what to do and not do. Rather, Laura and Guy tell you that they were once part of the problem (as surely we all once were) and that we must realize the larger implications of small decisions. From this creation of affinity they encourage a vision that should inform our actions and dialogue. This is a book to share, re-read, and live by.

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Reaching People's Minds

Reading Guy and Laura Waterman's Backwoods Ethics is like flipping through a vintage scrapbook; their collection of memories and insights from decades of hiking, climbing, and camping in the Northeast coalesce into a journey to another era. When Backwoods Ethics was first published in 1979 it was hailed as a prophetic call to protect the backcountry: the wild landscape of mountains and forests the authors have long called home. Today, more than two decades later, many of the Waterman's passionate proposals continue to blaze the way towards a new relationship between recreationists and wildlands, not only in New England but throughout North America.

Although Backwoods Ethics details practical techniques for "low-impact hiking, camping and cooking, and alpine management" it delves much deeper than the typical how-to manual. The Watermans believe "if something in the world of nature is to be preserved, it must be by our accepting the role of stewards. This need not, must not, be undertaken in a spirit of arrogance, but on the contrary in one of humility and recognition that we often do not really know what we should do. But we must try to learn, and to act responsibly." The authors make no claim to be "profound philosophers," in fact they advocate the opposite, yet their understanding that recreation need not be just another form of exploitation, that it can be undertaken in a spirit of reciprocation with the land, is the essence of the ever-evolving wildlands ethic.

Like outdoor educators at their best, the Watermans are humorous, kindly, and thoughtful in their attempts to steer others from the high-impact backcountry practices of the past towards the minimum-impact ways of today. They readily acknowledge that the habits of an earlier generation-washing dishes in the nearest stream, cutting spruce or fir boughs (an entire trees worth!) to make a springy mattress, hacking down trees with the trusty axe for a blazing campfire, or tossing empty cans and leftover food into a communal trash pit-were not necessarily wrong for their time. We may shudder to recall these practices now, the Watermans observe, but when only a handful of campers could be found in the backcountry the land could absorb the impact of such practices.

Today, the authors note, "we have become more numerous, by manifold, and so we have been forced to change." If the reader is willing to toss the Waterman's denial of philosophical skills aside this simple quote can be applied universally (in all senses of the word). Backwoods Ethics, like the wildlands ethic it helped to inspire, reaches far beyond simply attempting to preserve the backcountry experience. It is an attempt to "reach people's minds" and allow them to connect with the planet that gives them life.

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The original source book for the minimum impact movement

This book was one of the originals in this subject, not to mention one of the best. What is great about this book is that not only is it a how-to manual for leave no trace camping, but it also explores the multi-faceted issue of "what are we trying to preserve" with our remaining wild lands. As someone who works in the field of backcountry land management, I couldn't recommend this book more highly to both hikers and land managers alike. Check out the companion book, Wilderness Ethics as well. Pete Ketcham, Green Mountain Club, Vermont.

Mighty fine book!

If you are an outdoors-person, then this is a must read. Anyone involved in any outdoor groups should read this and have members read this! Newcomers and old pros alike may love this literature, for its leasons are timeless! Thank you, Laura and Guy Waterman!

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he lived by his creed, to which many will aspire....

This title and "Wilderness Ethics" are pioneering works forming 'a code that we can live by'. Guy chose to climg the high ridge one last time, on a trail, 'beyond the ranges'. His true farewell will be publication of his collected works forthcoming.See also books by the late Scott Nearing & his wife.

The classic guide to low-impact camping and hiking techniques. When Backwoods Ethics was originally published in 1979 it was hailed by environmentalists and wilderness managers as a prophetic call to reevaluate the impact of outdoor recreation on the wilderness. Now, more than twenty years later, its warnings and advice are more relevant than ever. The authors present a stringent ethic of low-impact hiking, camping, cooking, and alpine management techniques in an attempt to preserve the wilderness experience for generations to come. The huge increase in the popularity of recreational hiking and camping since the original publication of this book makes its message even more relevant today and its potential audience even larger.

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