Behave properly in nature

Many people in nature

As walks, trekking and hiking have become more widespread, more people have naturally come into nature. The country has not become larger, so that means that there are now more of us who have to share the space. That creates some challenges. Or to put it another way, it can create some challenges. But if we each make a small effort, there will be a big gain for everyone.

Leave only traces in nature

There are lots of clever sayings and allusions to how you should behave and behave in nature. But one particular saying has stuck with me very well, and makes a lot of sense. Leave only traces in nature! And this certainly doesn’t mean skid marks (more on that later). But leave only your footprints in nature – everything else is taken back or thrown in the trash..
I think that exact saying fits perfectly. Unfortunately, I didn’t invent it, but I’ve read it on various posts. It fits so well. If everyone lived by this, then nature, hiking trails, forests, shelters, etc. would be a much better place to be. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case!

L… for breakfast

It sounds tacky. It is tacky! But nevertheless, it is the reality..
What would you say to being presented with human remains in the early hours of the morning? Personally, I would be very unhappy with that state of affairs. But unfortunately, the Amarmino, for example, suffers from some not-so-nice trends. Here, people dump their remains on public display for all to see.
Here you can read TV2 Lorry’s article about the problem.

But it’s basically about the users of the Amarmino not cleaning up after themselves. Or worse yet, using nature as a toilet. Even though there are public toilets available. It must be said that the example is included for the sake of the example. Unfortunately, this is how it works on many popular hiking trails in Denmark.
But as the article also highlights, the daily users of the hiking trail are far from satisfied with having their dog return with human waste on its snout. Unfortunately, the dog eats it. Not everyone is satisfied with stepping in human shit either. Or encountering flying toilet paper with shit on it. I know it, you know it. It’s just not cool to step in shit. (Usually dog ​​shit) Human shit just makes it a little more disgusting.

If you must, then you must.

No rule without exceptions. If you have to, you have to. It’s like you have control over your body to a certain extent. But it can easily play tricks on you. Especially if you’re out hiking and you push your body a little. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t always have control over when your body wants to get rid of “waste”. Sometimes you can be in a situation where you just have to. And then there’s not much you can do. You have 2 choices. Either do it in your pants, or find a place to do it. The public toilet is far away! so you’re left with one option. You have to relieve yourself in nature.
But here are solutions. Solutions so that the next people who pass by your shit-spot don’t get an unpleasant surprise. You can prepare for this. A small toilet kit for nature.

Dig the profit down

If you have just packed a small nature kit in your backpack or your carrier bag or whatever you have with you, then you are homesaved. The kit can consist of a small shovel/spoon, some toilet paper and maybe some cloths (washcloths) and then a little hand sanitizer..
Then you have the option to pull over, dig a small hole, do whatever you need to do in the hole, cover it up, and then disinfect your hands. It’s not the best solution (which would be a toilet with running water) but it’s still better than throwing it directly into nature, with the risk of others stepping in it.

Experience helps of course

As walking becomes more widespread, there will of course be “newbies” on the hiking trails. There should be room for everyone. But what I’m trying to say is that experience obviously plays a role. I’m aware that there are millions of reasons why you might end up doing something in nature, for example. It’s not necessarily because you’re on a long and exhausting trip. It could just as well happen on a short walk with the dog, or a nice hike with the family. But if you’re going on +10 kilometers, I think it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the area a little before you set off..
The more experienced you become as a “walker”, the better you will become. You will know your body better and better, and that way it will also be easier to plan longer walks.

Nature is generally dirty in Denmark

I write a little further down that Denmark is generally good at trying to take care of nature. But it’s one thing to make the attempt from public bodies. It’s quite another thing to be those who actually use nature. Unfortunately, I’m experiencing more and more that nature is just becoming a big trash can. Not only in connection with hiking, but also in many other contexts. For example, when I go on some of my training trips, it’s almost obvious how the same car dumps its plastic bottle or beer can in the same place. Maybe it’s on the drive home from work. There’s no excuse for that. Now take your trash home with you. And if it’s because your wife doesn’t want to discover you’re enjoying a beer after work, then you’re dealing with completely different problems.
I think we could all be much better. How long does it take for a beer or soda can to disappear into nature? 500 years!
500 YEARS OF FRIENDS. We can certainly do better.

Everyone deserves a good nature experience

Nature belongs to everyone. And that’s how it should be. But it should also be a really good experience for both people and animals. That’s why it can’t be said too often: “clean up after yourself in nature”
This way, all creatures can enjoy the great nature experience more easily. No dogs cutting themselves on broken glass, no humans bringing home unpleasant surprises under their shoes. If you have to go to the vet, or your shoes/boots are covered in lint…, the experience will not be good.

Denmark is one of the countries that is really good at preserving nature. This means that public toilets are established, trash cans are hung up (which are actually emptied) and a lot is generally done to preserve nature and make it a nice place to be.