Zero Waste Backpacking, Round 2

Just got back from another awesome hut trip in the Rocky Mountains. There wasn't quite as much snow as we were hoping for, but we still had an absolute blast!

PHOTO CREDIT: @alectrocution

WHERE

This weekend we hiked 5 miles through the White River National Forest to the Fowler Hillard Hut, one of the 10th Mountain Division Huts.

These are amazing woodsy getaways, complete with wood burning stove, wood burning oven, rain water pump, and outhouse. We make our own water (using the wood burning stove to melt snow), and sleep in bunk rooms fitted with comfortable pads and pillows (or at least they feel comfortable after a day of touring).

Because of these amenities, there's no need to carry sleeping pads, tents, or kitchen gear on this trip.  The weight of these are replaced with avalanche gear (shovel, probe, and beacon), skis, and some extra booze.  

PHOTO CREDIT: @alectrocution

PACKING

As you can see above, I have my clothes (to pack and to wear while hiking/skiing), sleeping bag, food, and booze. The challenge of zero waste backpacking is bringing your food in containers. Many backpackers use ziplock baggies and/or dehydrated foods like Mountain House meals. While these are light weight and convenient, they produce quite a bit of plastic waste which, ironically, could eventually pollute the beautiful natural places which we are packing into. 

Clothes Packing List

• Clothes on my back: leggings/shorts, tank top, pant and jacket shells.
• Down Jacket
• 1 extra pair of leggings
• 1 long sleeved under layer
• 2 pair ski socks
• 1 pair regular socks
• PJs - T-shirt and Shorts
• Underwear x 4 and Bra x 2
• Avy Equipment: Beacon, Shovel, Probe
• Skis
• Lightweight winter boots
• Double Sleeping Bag and pillowcase

Giving up the convenience of dehydrated meals does mean slightly more weight, and some heavier containers. I kept my containers from the last time I went zero waste backpacking, and used them again this time!  These totaled: 2 plastic coconut oil containers and 1 to-go soup containers. The rest were storage containers or bags I already had.

MEAL PLAN:

• Day 1 (hiking in):
  • Lunch: trail mix
  • Dinner: Pizza Bagels
  • Snacks: 1 orange, trail mix, chocolate
• Day 2:
  • Breakfast: Bulk Farina Cereal (Cream of Wheat)
  • Lunch: Cheese, Apple, Dried Fruit
  • Dinner: Quesadillas
  • Snacks: apple with cheese, trail mix, chocolate
• Day 3 (hiking out):
  • Breakfast: Apple
  • Snacks: Trail mix, chocolate
• I also packed in 1 water bottle full of whisky and 4 beers

I didn't weigh my pack, but I'm guessing it was about 32-35 lbs once I added a full 3 L CamelBak and my Nikon camera, which is pretty light! 

I ended up getting altitude sickness when I was up there and experienced a loss of appetite. While my friends got me to eat, I definitely packed way more food out than I expected!

WASTE

This is the 8 grams worth of trash that I produced on this four day trip, that's less than 0.01 lb! While it's more than my first venture, I'm still perfectly happy with it!

My waste included:

1. Plastic wrap from my cheeses
2. 4 fruit stickers
3. 1 teabag wrapping
4. 2 blister bandage wrappings

The big mistake I knowingly made was buying cheese wrapped in plastic. I had much less time to prepare for this trip than my last as I had been out of town the previous two weekends and working long days prior.  This meant that I ended up cutting a few corners. One was the cheeses. The second was the tortillas for quesadillas. The plastic was recyclable, but I definitely could have avoided that if I'd planned better.

WHY

The mission of the 10th Mountain Division Huts is, among other things, to "promote understanding and appreciation of the natural environment."

There's few better ways to appreciate the people in your life and the natural environment then to adventure to a secluded, winter wonderland together, void of internet and cell service.  

What drives me on my zero waste journey is my love and care for special places like these. Reducing your plastic footprint is just one of many ways to help preserve these beautiful places.

So if you are someone who cherishes the outdoors and who values our natural world, take some small steps to reduce your waste footprint, especially while you are out enjoying what nature has to offer!

Peter and I, tired bags under our eyes, enjoying the sunrise.

Zero Waste Backpacking

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

— John Muir

This past weekend I went on my first backpacking trip while living a zero waste lifestyle.  I have to admit I wasn't successful at producing zero waste, but I did have very little!  And I'm confident I can make even better choices next trip.

Where

So one of the glorious perks of living in Colorful Colorado is winter backpacking to the amazing 10th Mountain Division Huts. I had the privledge of hiking 4.8 miles through White River National Forest to McNamera Hut.  It's basically a quintessential cabin in the woods, complete with wood burning stove, wood burning oven, and outhouse. We make our own water (using the wood burning stove), and sleep in bunk rooms fitted with comfortable pads and pillows (or at least they feel comfortable after a day of touring).

Because of these amenities, there's no need to carry sleeping pads, tents, or kitchen gear on this trip.  These are replaced with avalanche gear (shovel, probe, and beacon), skis, and some extra booze.  

Packing

As you can see above, I have my clothes (to pack and to wear while hiking/skiing) sleeping bag, food, and booze. The challenge of zero waste backpacking is bringing your food in containers. Many backpackers use ziplock baggies and/or dehydrated foods like Mountain House meals. While these are light weight and convenient, they produce quite a bit of plastic waste which, ironically, will eventually pollute the beautiful natural places which we are packing into. 

Giving up the convenience of dehydrated meals does mean slightly more weight, and some heavier containers. While I love my glass jars and steel canisters, they aren't so fantastic for backpacking simply because of their weight. Knowing that this trip was going to happen, I started keeping plastic containers, several that I bought even before going zero waste.  These totaled: two plastic coconut oil containers, two Talenti gelato containers, a cardboard tea canister, and one new almond butter. The rest were storage containers I already had.

Meal Plan:

• Day 1 (hiking in):
  • Lunch: trail mix
  • Dinner: broccoli-cheese fritters with brown rice
  • Snacks: 1 orange, trail mix
• Day 2:
  • Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cranberries
  • Lunch: pizza bagel
  • Dinner: broccoli-cheese fritters with brown rice
  • Snacks: apple with almond butter, trail mix
• Day 3:
  • Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cranberries
  • Lunch: broccoli-cheese fritter sandwich
  • Dinner: pizza bagel
  • Snacks: apple with almond butter, trail mix
• Day 4 (hiking out):
  • Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cranberries
  • Snacks: Trail Mix, 1 orange

Food / Container List:

• 2 Bagels - large reused plastic coconut oil container
• 1 cheese jalapeño muffin - stored with bagels
• 1 ciabatta roll - stored with bagels
• 1 cup marinara sauce - small reused plastic coconut oil container
• 1 cup shredded parmesan - small blue tupperware
• 2 Tbsp seasonings - small clear tupperware, stored with shredded cheese
• 1 cup brown rice - small reused ice cream container
• 2 Tbsp honey - small squeeze container 
• 8 teabags - cardboard tea canister
• 2 sticks of butter - homemade beeswax cloth
• 15 broccoli cheese fritters - large reused ice cream container
• 1 small container almond butter - original packaging
• 3 oranges (ate one before the hike)
• 2 apples
• 2 cups of dried oatmeal with dried cranberries mixed in - cotton bag
• 1.5 lbs trail mix - cotton bag
• 1 waterbottle full of whiskey
• 2 cans of beer

My pack totaled 38 lbs once I added a full 2 L CamelBak and 64 oz KleanKanteen bottle, which is the lightest I think I've ever packed with!

Waste

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This is the 4 grams worth of trash that I produced on this four day trip, that's less than 0.01 lb! I'm feeling pretty good about that for my first backpacking venture. 

My waste included:

1. Plastic label from my almond butter
2. Plastic lid lining to my almond butter
3. 4 fruit stickers
4. Plastic from around one of the ice cream containers
5. the plastic covering of the whisky bottle top

Now that I have plastic containers that work for backpacking, I'm just going to hold onto them for that purpose. I also made the mistake of buying almond butter in a small plastic container, thinking this would work well. I should have bought almond butter in a jar as normal and then transferred it into a plastic container. Now I know!

why

As with many in the zero waste community, I have chosen this path because the planet and our environment are top priorities in my life. I love being outdoors and in the wild.  The time I spend in these magical places helps me affirm that as a society we need to make a monumental effort to continue to protect them.

One of the steps we can take toward protecting these spellbinding places is to reduce our waste, particularly plastic. 

So if you are someone who cherishes the outdoors and who values our natural world, take some small steps to reduce your waste footprint, especially while you are out enjoying what nature has to offer.

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“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson