Camp Kitchen Health
THE SCARY WARNING!
The pristine character of a
wilderness environment often lures people into a sense of false confidence, believing that
sound hygiene is unnecessary and that all water is safe to drink. Poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions are a common cause of disease and surprisingly, even death.
Water-borne and fecal-borne contaminants are a potentially serious health hazard when
camping and could ruin your trip.
The extent of your preparation will depend upon your
circumstances. Where will you be camping? Will there be potable (drinking quality) water available? Will you be able to carry much gear? How long will you be gone?
While State parks and other camping facilities may provide amenities, backcountry
camping or boating usually requires that you provide or filter your own drinking water.
(Shop Water Containers)
USE ONLY SAFE WATER
Boil, chemically treat, or filter your drinking water any time you are not sure of water
purity. Consider most backcountry water to be potentially contaminated even though it
appears clean and may be running rapidly. Viruses, bacteria, and parasites in food and water can easily invade your camp. In brief,
there are three ways to make your water safe.
HEATING water to a rolling boil will kill or
sterilize all microorganisms, making it safe to drink.
FILTRATION will generally remove
most everything but viruses which are too small to be filtered out. Some filters kill
viruses via contact with a halogen such as iodine. (Shop Water Filters)
CHEMICAL TREATMENTS, such as iodine or chlorine,
will kill most parasites, viruses, and bacteria but their effectiveness varies, so don't count on the water being completely safe unless the directions are followed scrupously and manufacturerer specifically states that the product is effective against such pathogens. The water
temperature, clarity, concentration of contaminants and the length of time you allow for treatment
must all be taken into account for effective purification. (Shop Chemical Water Purifiers)
To read more about treating drinking water, please see Water
Filtration Advice.
GENERAL GUIDELINES:
POTS AND PANS: While you do not have to purchase cookware specifically made for camping, it certainly has it's advantages. Lighter, more compact, and easier to pack, the new camp cooking sets are certainly worth looking at. (Shop Camp Cookware)
FOOD STORAGE: When in the backcountry, store your food in bear resistant containers. Many parks require their use, so plan ahead. (Shop Bear Resistant Containers)
AFTER MEAL CLEAN-UP - Washing with detergents will only reduce the chance of contamination, so some care should be taken when cleaning up after meals. Dishes,
especially utensils, should be washed and dried daily. Adding about a cap full of bleach
for every 2 gallons of rinse water is pretty effective, especially good for group situations.
PROTECT WATER SOURCES - Do everything you can to protect water sources from contamination. Soaps and detergents are hard on the natural environment, so even biodegradable detergents should
be used sparingly (pea sized amount) and only at a good distance from water sources.
LEFTOVERS - Don't ever try to store cooked,
but uneaten food. Consider it off limits after dinner is over. Snack on something that doesn't require refrigeration. Leftovers should be sealed in plastic bags and packed out. Burying them
isn't a good idea, since hungry animals usually unearth the food, eat and spread the plastic. Not healthy for the animal or the environment. If campfires are
allowed, small amounts of dry food will burn, but wet food usually becomes a lump of ash
unless the fire is extremely hot. Do not store leftovers in your tent.
FIRE - Best is to use a camp stove and no campfire, but if you must have one (and it's allowed), keep it small, and make
sure ashes are cold to the touch when you leave. Collect only dead wood, up to as big as
your arm in circumference. Leave axes at home. When using a stove, try not to spill fuel.
Clear the ground of duff to avoid wildfires.
GARBAGE - Carry it out! Scour your campsite thoroughly before you leave because even the smallest
bit of human debris adds up. Pick up litter as you encounter it. If local land managers
give you the go-ahead, consider cleaning up a trashy area and caching the garbage for
later removal by a ranger.
CAMP STOVES AND FUEL:
Whether you are hiking the Sierras, rafting the Colorado River, trekking in Nepal, or
camping with your family at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, you will need to eat. Stoves,
made specifically for camping, come in various sizes and weights, with assorted features. (Shop Camp Stoves)
Pack fuel bottles in zip-lock freezer bags, away from food. Protect your stove, and keep
it clean, with cloth shoe protectors, or trim off a pair of 2 liter soda bottles to make
an armored travel case. Also take a cleaning/maintenance kit that includes a jet-cleaning
needle, pipe cleaners, and thin wire for cleaning debris out of hoses and other
hard-to-reach areas. Test your stove before you leave and check your fuel canister to
ensure it's full and intact. (Shop Stove Maintenance Kits)
Never operate your stove inside a cabin, tent, or any other place with poor ventilation! Read all directions and precausions for your stove. Store booklets with the stove so you can refresh your memory before you use it.
TRANSPORTATION of fuel and fuel containers is generally not allowed (filled or unfilled)
by the airlines. Ask before you fly, plan ahead, so if you need to, you will know what sources are available at your destination.
RULES OF THE TRAIL:
- Carry out all garbage.
- Hike on marked trails, not across fragile alpine growth.
- Use existing campsites or sites away from water and trails.
- Respect and protect the wilderness.
- Tread lightly and only carry home photographs and memories.
