Outdoor Code - Considerate in the Outdoors
| Category: | Outdoor Code |
|---|---|
| Notes: | Third in a four-part series on the Outdoor Code. Good before a hike, a campout at a busy campground, or an outing that crosses private land. See also outdoor-code-clean-in-my-outdoor-manners, outdoor-code-careful-with-fire, and outdoor-code-conservation-minded. |
The third line of the Outdoor Code is, "Be considerate in the outdoors." Considerate means thinking about other people's experience, not just your own. So who else is out there?
Other people, for starters. The family at the next campsite who came out for peace and quiet. The hikers coming up the trail behind you. The fishermen who've been waiting all morning for a bite. Being considerate means keeping your voice down after dark, stepping aside on the trail to let others pass, and remembering that a whooping patrol can be heard a long way off.
Then there are the animals. We're visitors in their home. Watch them from a distance. Never feed them, even the squirrel that's practically begging. An animal that learns to get food from people often ends up in trouble because of it. Store your food properly so they never get the chance.
And then there are the people who own the land. Some of the places we hike and camp are private property, or a park that a whole community shares. Stay on the trail. Leave gates the way you found them. A gate left open can let a whole herd of cattle out onto the road. If somebody lets a troop use their land, we want them glad to say yes again next year.
Being considerate is really just the Scout Law, taken outside. Courteous. Kind. Friendly. They don't stop at the trailhead.