Leave No Trace But Start Your Dishwasher

I've just returned from a backpacking trip in Canada. It was spectacular.

Feast your eyes on the crystal-clear waters of Lake Superior.
When you're in an environment like this, you can help but become a bit of a purist. We were very careful to cook our food with a stove that burned only a little white gas (best for environment). We ate all our meals on boulders on the beaches. Breakfast where the sun rose:
And dinner where the sun set:
We spent many hours cooking, pausing to give thanks, sharing our meals, and then cleaning up to leave no trace. We burned much of our waste, packed out the rest, and washed our dishes with biodegradable soap in the lake.

Of the entire trip, the mealtimes were some of my favorites-- the shared meals and shared work. It's so weird, I can't even seem to turn on my dishwasher at home...but I'll be the first to pump water to purify, get the stove set up or do the dishes when surrounded by beauty!

Speaking of beauty- check out my lovely un-showered, un-made-up friends!

Here we are with our backpacks on as we are all ready to hike out at the end of our four days in the "interior" of Lake Superior Provincial Park. (Yes, there were more than just meals, so I will write another post on Canada.)
On our hike out, we saw that the neighboring backpackers left a site that looked even worse than this one (random pic from the internet). It kind of ruined our pure experience.
But I did come home and recycle everything I possibly could this morning. After this experience, I'm more energized about protecting our environment. Now if only I were energized to do the dishes piling up...

Posted in: travel