Keep Nature Wild | Leave No Trace

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This infographic shows a subject looking over a beautiful lake-side mountainscape. The foreground is riddled with trash, including water bottles, aluminum cans, masks, and plastic bags. The foreground also features flowers that are crippled by hikers who have ventured off the trail. In the midground are tree stumps accompanied by an axe handle, signifying deforestation and human impact.

Infographic created by: Aaron Lauritzen

Hello, I am Aaron Lauritzen, and I want to share a story with you. My whole life, I have been an adventurer and explorer. For those who know me, it wouldn't come as a surprise that I'll climb any cliff, hike any mountain, or consider a fence just something to jump over. I genuinely believe the best life experiences are found in the most hard-to-reach places. A mantra I didn't create but believe wholeheartedly is that you should live your life to the fullest by stepping out of bounds. Nothing is more apparent in reinforcing this statement than the name of my business. The website you are on right now is named Outbound Photography because I believe in this mantra so much.

The reason I am writing this is because I have had a few experiences that have broken my heart. Over the last four years, I have taken the same hike to relive a truly remarkable experience. It is my favorite hike and, so far, my favorite place in the whole world. Every year, the hike is just as awe-inspiring as the last. It is a breath of fresh air that allows me to clear my head and is where I gain a lot of creative inspiration. The breathtaking views and atmosphere are almost perfect, except for one major flaw. Every year I go back, I notice a problem getting worse and worse. Hikers have been going off the trail either as a shortcut or to see something that was just out of view a few years ago. What this has caused is a bunch of new muddy, footprint-ridden trenches through what used to be pristine nature.

Hiking trails were designed to have a minimal impact on the environment and allow a gateway for those of us who want to experience it. What is heartbreaking is when you see right in front of you what was previously a field of flowers, grasses, ferns, and trees turn into a brown dirt patch. Now I have to come clean. I am personally a part of the problem. As I stated in the beginning, the best places are the ones untouched by anyone and "out of bounds." Which is a fancy way of saying that the best places are off the trail. Now, there are some critical factors to consider. This message I am trying to spread doesn't mean you aren't allowed to step even one foot off a trail. Everyone should be allowed to go wherever they want and explore areas seen by only a handful of people. The difference is that while going off trails, it is essential to think before you step. The goal and what I practice is that there should be zero signs that you were ever even there. When practicing leave no trace, it is often overlooked that even your footprints or created walking paths are leaving a trace. You should step out of bounds and explore somewhere no one else has seen, but do it in a way that keeps nature pristine and free from any sign of human life. A slogan that I have been keeping in my mind for the duration of this project is: Keep nature wild.

On the topic of exploring and going off hiking trails this leads me into another one of my adventures. A few years ago, I went on a backpacking trip. Now, this is different from a typical adventure for myself. I wanted a trip where I was 100% disconnected from all humans. So, after a four-hour drive and a few hours of hiking up a challenging trail, I decided to walk out into the forest. Now, I did so carefully, being cautious not to disturb vegetation. If anyone other than myself were on this trail, there is no way anyone could find where I went.

I set up my camp about a mile and a half off this trail. This was one of the most surreal outdoor adventures I have ever taken. It was a true silence of all human-made noise. With the closest possible humans being about 20 miles away. No roads, trails, planes, nothing. Just myself and nature. Now, while I was exploring this newfound area, I found some incredible things. A spring with fresh water, an ecosystem that was in perfect harmony. In the middle of this experience, I glanced over, and to my absolute disbelief, my heart sank. There was a plastic bottle. Even out here, dozens of miles from anyone, there is a plastic bottle? I was amazed at how this was even possible. After a quick scan, I found more bottles, beer cans, and wrappers from various foods. Even as I write this, I am so upset with that finding. Humans had left a mark on nature by leaving their unwanted trash, causing a disruption of this pristine landscape.

It's like you took a trip to see the Mona Lisa only to find that the paint had been smudged. Or, waiting all year to see an upcoming movie only for the theater to have a blurry projector. Sure, you still saw the movie and the Mona Lisa, but you didn't see it in all its glory. Or how the artists wanted you to see it. Mother Nature would have wanted the intended viewing experience of landscapes to be free from literal human garbage. While this trip was still one of the best I've ever taken, I still wish that it would have been just that little bit better.

So what do we do about this? Well, for starters, we all need to practice and share leave-no-trace messages. We all know about littering and agree it is an unfortunate reality. While littering is a more apparent problem, it is important to understand and think about where you step to keep hiking trails pristine. I have created the Keep Nature Wild infographic that you can easily share with anyone who you feel might be interested or receptive to this message. We can spread awareness and stories to try and help bring attention to these problems that still persist. I have worked hard to create this project to showcase what these problems do and how they impact nature. Please share this message and do your part to leave no trace.

My name is Aaron Lauritzen, and thank you for hearing my story.

Blog Written by: Aaron Lauritzen

Produced by Outbound Photography.