Bigfoot enjoys hearing from you...

Each month Bigfoot and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics have introduced new challenges, to inspire people to get more involved in practicing, teaching, and promoting Leave No Trace.

Thanks Rudy for sharing your story with Bigfoot and thanks for all that you do for Leave No Trace!

Hey Bigfoot,

As part of my September challenge I took a group of children on a hike. This is a group of home-school kids that I have been teaching outdoor skills to for several months. We completed a session on map and compass, so I planned a hike as a test for the little critters. First, of course, we reviewed our understanding of Leave No Trace - I told the kids that if we left any trace, you might follow us home! We planned a hike on several acres of town conversation easement land. The children oriented their maps, took bearings to a waterfall about a half mile into the woods, and off we went. For a bunch of 8-11 year olds, the kids did very well. Since there were no trails in or out of the woods we used backcountry principles and kept spread out so we would not create a trail and to keep compacting to a minimum. We managed to stay on durable surfaces (pine needles) most of the time, no plants were picked and the kids managed to leave what they found. The kids carried in their trail mix bags and carried out their trash. You would be proud of them - not only did they leave no trace, they also found their way in, around and out of the woods by themselves using their maps and compasses.

Let's see you come up with a real challenge for October!

Rudy Bourget

Weare, NH