By Sam Demas, www.hut2hut.info
Huts are highly effective in protecting the earth from the growing human impacts of overnight stays in the backcountry. Traditionally, backpackers hold the cherished notion that by dispersed camping or using traditional campsites they tread lightly on the land and leave no trace. In contrast, the immediate reaction of many backpackers to the idea of huts is that buildings in the backcountry are a violation of the spirit of the wild, and people who use them are somehow “cheating” by not roughing it in tents. It’s not that simple. A recent recreation ecology study shows that huts are the most effective way of minimizing human impacts of overnight stays in the backcountry. In addition, huts can help to create good environmental citizens by both expanding access to multi-day treks, and serving as infrastructure for a wide variety of education, conservation and recreation programs. How huts protect the environment:
LOWEST ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT FOR OVERNIGHT STAYS IN BACKCOUNTRY
A recent study conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Marion finally confirms empirically the common wisdom about huts: they are designed and operated to absorb human impacts and are thus highly effective in protecting the earth from overnight stays in the wild. The data show that on a per capita basis hut sites show far less vegetation loss, exposed soil and social trails than backcountry lodges, traditional campsites and campsites with developed tent pads. Dr. Marion attributes the findings to “the spatial concentration and containment of visitor activity to the huts, decks, dining facility, and formal trails provided by the hut facilities.” In the September 2021 WTN Trails Talk Dr. Marion presented his results showing that huts are an exemplary way of minimizing human impacts of overnight stays in the backcountry.
Traditional campsite (non hardened) Assiniboine Provincial Park (Photo by Jeff Marion)
CAREFUL SITING, CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN AND MATERIALS
Rather than each person sleeping in a non-recyclable, plastic tent that will slowly decay for generations in a landfill, trekkers can stay overnight in a purpose-built structure designed to minimize human impacts in both the short and long term. Site analysis is formalized in the US through an environmental impact statement, and the design, materials, and construction of huts are subject to local health, safety and environmental regulations. The siting of huts is based on careful ecological analysis, suitability for human waste handling systems, ecological analysis (e.g. potential impacts on vegetation and wildlife habitat), access to potable water and many other factors. Green materials are used along with backcountry construction techniques to minimize environmental disruption. And huts include hardened surfaces absorbing human traffic around the hut, discouraging social trails, and decks for people to sit on.
Rather than each person sleeping in a non-recyclable, plastic tent that will slowly decay for generations in a landfill, trekkers can stay overnight in a purpose-built structure designed to minimize human impacts in both the short and long term. Site analysis is formalized in the US through an environmental impact statement, and the design, materials, and construction of huts are subject to local health, safety and environmental regulations. The siting of huts is based on careful ecological analysis, suitability for human waste handling systems, ecological analysis (e.g. potential impacts on vegetation and wildlife habitat), access to potable water and many other factors. Green materials are used along with backcountry construction techniques to minimize environmental disruption. And huts include hardened surfaces absorbing human traffic around the hut, discouraging social trails, and decks for people to sit on.
BEST PRACTICES
The hut community has been working on green operational practices for years and consensus is emerging about best practices. For example, in addition to practices for siting, design, construction and materials, the newly formed United States Hut Alliance (USHA) is working on a set of best practices (e.g. for potable water, human waste and gray water management, bedding, kitchen and cooking design, working with local communities, staffing, etc), and a statement of environmental values to guide hut operations. By sharing their collective experience, hut operators strive to ensure they are using optimal practices for protecting the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, OUTDOOR SKILLS, AND THERAPY
Huts, located in wild and beautiful settings, are ideal sites for educational and therapeutic programs centered around nature and the environment. In 2018 a survey of U.S. hut operators revealed that 17%,(nearly 20,000) of the 115,000 annual hut visitors participated in some kind of guided activity, as described here. Outdoor clubs, schools, military and veterans organizations, church and youth groups and corporations find that huts are conducive to environments for workshops, classes, and training systems. Some hut systems have naturalists on staff offering daily nature walks and Junior Naturalist Programs. Hut talks and interpretive materials cover natural history; cultural, military and native American history; mining and forestry; and green technology used in the huts. Hut workshops focus on teaching outdoor skills (e.g. map and compass, wilderness first aid, avalanche safety), photography, writing, geology, natural history, etc. And some huts are used for wilderness therapy (e.g. recovery from PTSD), philosophical discussions, physical challenges and training, and/or career advice for veterans and active-duty service members.
EXPANDING ACCESS TO THE BENEFITS OF MULTI-DAY TREKS AND SIMPLE LIVING
Multi-day pilgrimages in the wild are a balm for the human spirit. With 80% of humanity living in cities and suburbs, many folks simply do not have (and cannot afford) the equipment and do not have the skills to backpack. But they too yearn for the psychological benefits of multi-day treks in nature, and having a cozy place to sleep at the end of each day. Hut-to-hut trekking provides a more diverse range of people with the opportunity to escape from screens and from their day-to-day lives, establishing simpler routines; to enjoy the benefits of sustained exercise, offering the potential to retrain neural networks; and to experience a sense of adventure and accomplishment.
Sharing living quarters harmoniously with others, including strangers, calls on our best behavior, requires common courtesy and good citizenship, and can inspire us to leave the hut (and the earth!) better than we found it. Multiple days and nights of simple living, vigorous exercise, immersion in nature, and mingling with people across class, race and political divides can engender a sense of renewal. And trekkers can take the lessons learned back home. They will be inclined to conduct their lives with greater simplicity, and, we hope, to become citizens more connected to nature and more inclined to advocate/vote for measures to protect nature.
HANDS-ON CONSERVATION WORK
Huts can serve as base camps for trail maintenance, habitat restoration, and citizen science projects. I envision portable huts as infrastructure shelter for a global army mobilized to preserve biodiversity and ensure human survival. Many such encampments will be temporary, relocated to new work sites in response to overuse and the changing effects of climate change. These hands-on volunteer work experiences will provide urban dwellers with respite from city life, and will connect people dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the earth. Finally, I predict that some hut systems will begin to require hands-on conservation work as part of the price of using huts in some areas.
CONCLUSION
Land managers charged with protecting wild lands AND expanding access to nature will increasingly use huts as tools in their environmental stewardship kits. As more and more trekkers seek overnight stays in wildlands, huts will be used to protect nature from the heavy footprint of humankind. Simple, affordable huts are exemplary in minimizing the impacts of overnight stays, and they provide infrastructure for creative programming that develops good environmental citizens. Go forth and experiment with huts on your frequently used trails!
