September 15 2015

Your liver is yours to abuse. The environment isn’t.

      Chances are you like to camp. Chances are you like to party. Chances are finding empty beer cans and cigarette butts in your favorite campsites makes you angry and sad. Here’s how to have a bush bash without being Those People.

1: Know the terrain and whether or not people are going to be around. If there are people around, find somewhere else to party. Also, a pristine field of sunflowers might not be the most respectful location to have a hundred people milling about. Try to park on a road and congregate in an area that’s already been trampled or something like a road pullout. Have someone go down the road to see how far your speakers travel, and adjust noise levels accordingly.

2: If you’re going to have a bonfire, plan it beforehand. First off, make sure you’re even allowed to have a fire. If you aren’t allowed, don’t. Fire bans exist for a reason. Delegate the task of making the bonfire to one person, who will also round up people to clean it up in the morning. Keep your logs away from the fire so people don’t throw them onto the fire mindlessly.

3: Put trash bags everywhere. Leaving trash everywhere is the number one cause of Being Those Guys Syndrome (BTGS) in the backcountry. Realistically, revelers aren’t going to walk back to one trashcan or take the time to find trashbags if there’s not one readily available. Put trash bags everywhere. Still, you won’t catch everything, so have your group go over everything with a microscope before you leave or everyone in your group will contract BTGS.

4: Try to do group food. I know this can be a stretch, but one cooking area is much better for your campsite than fifty cooking areas. Hamburgers and hot dogs are pretty ideal for this if you can make them.

5: Get kegs. Aluminum cans go everywhere. Have everyone drink beer from their nalgenes to prevent the same thing happening with solo cups. Also, I’ve never seen somebody do a kegstand with a thirty rack.