Leave No Trace — the seven principles, with concrete examples
The Leave No Trace Center's seven principles (lnt.org) are the operating system of backcountry travel: (1) Plan ahead and prepare — know the regs, the weather, the route, the permit. (2) Travel and camp on durable surfaces — established trails, rock, gravel, dry grass; never on alpine vegetation or cryptobiotic soil. (3) Dispose of waste properly — pack out trash; bury human waste in catholes 6-8 inches deep, 200 ft from water, OR pack out in WAG bags in alpine / desert / heavily-used areas (Mt. Whitney, Grand Canyon, Half Dome). (4) Leave what you find — no rock-stacking, no historic-artifact collection (it's federal felony in NPS units). (5) Minimize campfire impacts — many backcountry zones prohibit fires entirely; use a stove. (6) Respect wildlife — 25-yard minimum from most wildlife, 100-yard minimum from predators (bears, wolves, mountain lions). (7) Be considerate of other visitors — yield to uphill hikers, no speakers on trail, camp out of sight of other groups when possible.
Wilderness permits — the lottery landscape
Most named wilderness areas (Inyo for Mt. Whitney, Yosemite for Half Dome day-hike and any wilderness overnight, Grand Canyon for any backcountry overnight, Glacier for backcountry sites, Olympic for backcountry sites, North Cascades for Sahale Glacier and other zones) require advance permits. The lottery and reservation systems vary: Mt. Whitney permits open Feb 1 with a fixed-quota lottery; Half Dome day-hike opens at recreation.gov mid-March; Yosemite wilderness permits open per-trailhead 24 weeks ahead; Inyo wilderness permits open per-trailhead 6 months ahead. The PickRV permit-planning rule: identify your target permit's reservation window the moment you set a trip date, and apply at the exact open-second.
Navigation — map + compass + GPS, the three-layer system
Cell phones with offline maps (Gaia GPS, Caltopo, OnX Backcountry) are excellent primary navigation tools — battery and crash dependent. A dedicated handheld GPS (Garmin GPSMAP, Garmin eTrex) is more durable but heavier and uses double-A batteries. A paper topographic map (USGS 7.5-minute quad or commercial National Geographic Trails Illustrated) with a baseplate compass is the bomb-proof backup that works when batteries don't. Standard backcountry rule: carry all three layers, know how to use all three, declare a waypoint and a bearing before stepping off a trail. NPS backcountry rangers cite 'navigation failure' as the most common cause of overdue-hiker SAR call-outs.
Wilderness first aid — what changes when help is far
Wilderness first aid (formal courses: NOLS WFA 16 hours, WFR Wilderness First Responder 80 hours) teaches scenarios where definitive care is hours or days away. Key differences from urban first aid: improvised splints from trekking poles, evacuation decision-making (when to walk out versus when to stay and signal), prolonged-care wound management (cleaning, packing, anti-infection vigilance), patient assessment over time (vitals every 30 minutes for serious injuries). For any group spending 3+ days in the backcountry, at least one member should hold NOLS WFA — the small-group cost (~$200) is far smaller than the cost of a preventable evacuation.