Highcountry campsites pose particular challenges. We must protect ourselves from lightning and the wind, and protect the fragile alpine ecosystems from us. Special considerations apply to when choosing your campsite, deciding whether to have a campfire (don't) and disposing of human waste.Choosing a highcountry campsite.

• Use campsites that have obviously been used before to concentrate impact in one place.
• If you are camping in an area where there are no signs of previous campsites, set up your tent out of sight of the trail, and leave no trace when you pack up the next morning.
• Don't camp on alpine grasses or meadows. Choose instead sturdy gravel or mineral soil.
• Choose a campsite sheltered from the wind. The above-tree line vegetation often shows you which way the wind most often blows. Pitch your tent on the lee side, or crawl in among some bushes or behind a few large rock formations. Stay away from passes because they funnel winds.

Pitching camp.

• When you're putting up your tent, weight the ground cloth with rocks so it doesn't blow away. When you get the tent up, weight it down before you try to stake it out.
• Likewise, when you spread out your gear, anything not weighted down is subject to becoming airborne.
• Even if you use a freestanding tent, always stake it down. If the ground is too rocky for stakes, you can tie the guy-lines to rocks or (if the rocks available aren't big enough) to a stuff sac filled with stones.

In camp.

• Wear camp shoes in camp to minimize impact on fragile vegetation.
• Do not make fires - even if there's enough wood (which there usually isn't). Alpine areas can take centuries to recover from fire.

-Adapted from Advanced Backpacking: A Trailside Guide, by Karen BergerDisposing of human waste.

In many highcountry areas, there is no suitable soil in which to dig a 6-8 inch deep cathole. If this is the case, you need to pack out your poop in a sealed container such as a Poop Tube. Alternatively, hike down to tree line to appropriate soil conditions. Climbers are required to pack out their poop on popular mountains such as El Capitan in Yosemite and Mount Shasta.

Backpack: Bear Country: Basics

Backpack: Bear Country: Camping & Food Security

Backpack: Bear Country: Hiking & Bear Encounters

Backpack: Desert: Basics

Backpack: Desert: Camping Considerations

Backpack: Desert: Hazards

Backpack: Desert: Hiking

Backpack: Desert: Water & Food: Dry Camping

Backpack: Desert: Water & Food: Finding & Carrying

Backpack: Desert: Water & Food: Food

Backpack: Finding Water

Backpack: Fitness

Backpack: Food & Water: Plan Meals

Backpack: Food & Water: Repackage

Backpack: Fording Rivers

Backpack: Highcountry: Basics

Backpack: Highcountry: Hazards

Backpack: Highcountry: Hiking on Scree & Talus

Backpack: In Camp: Bathing

Backpack: In Camp: Campfire: Basics

Backpack: In Camp: Campfire: in the Rain

Backpack: In Camp: Campfire: Low-Impact Fires

Backpack: In Camp: Cooking/Camp Kitchen

Backpack: In Camp: Food Storage

Backpack: In Camp: Ideal Campsite

Backpack: In Camp: Making Camp in Adverse Conditions

Backpack: In Camp: Managing Human Waste

Backpack: In Camp: Sleeping Warm

Backpack: In Camp: Tent or Tarp?

Backpack: In Camp: Washing Dishes

Backpack: In Camp: Women's Sanitation Concerns

Backpack: Packing Your Pack

Backpack: Plan Your Trip

Backpack: Putting on Your Pack

Backpack: Staying Found: Emergency Signaling

Backpack: Staying Found: How to Use a Compass

Backpack: Staying Found: Why Carry a Compass?

Backpack: Treating Water

Backpack: What to Bring: Clothes