Used Coffee Grounds

“This post is over on http://forums.backpacker.com but really caught my attention.

"Any of you coffee fanatics out there have any hints about how you make those grounds lighter after use. After a week the weight really adds up. We try to dry it when we can. We pack it out, do not even suggest to bury them, we are in bear country. I know instant/teabag type would be the light way to go, but would rather do without than to drink that stuff. Thanks from a fellow coffee fanatic!"

Burying/scattering coffee grounds is really a bad idea?.. Wow.. learned something. I figured completely biodegradeable, and let it go?

Anyways, if you guys got some thoughts or want to just reply yourself.. its over on the forums on the rodale site.”

“If you dont mind drinking someting other than coffee, but still want the caffene kick...make a mocha drink using hot chocolate mix and freeze-dried coffee. Try Carnation Instant Breakfast packets with instnt coffee, too. It makes freeze-dried coffee worth drinking.”

“Purists call it "Leave No Trace". New concept, eh Towndawg?”

“"If you dont mind drinking someting other than coffee..."

My god man, are you INSANE?? ;-)

Seriously, though...on group trips, I end up drinking instant, largely because of the grounds disposal issue. Some scatter, but I just don't feel comfortable with that. And after all, the worst cup of coffee in the wilderness is better than the best cup in the frontcountry.

On my private trips, I bring a little espresso maker. The grounds don't add up to much weight, so I don't mind carrying them.”

“Another food related question from Towndawg?

I too use the bury/scatter method for coffee grounds. It's the only thing I leave behind ('cept for poop). Does that make me a bad person?”

“Do you carry your poop out too? It's probably worse for the environment than your coffee grounds.”

“"Another food related question from Towndawg?"

You are hurting my feelings, Violin.”

“I use a coffee bistro that makes a 16oz cup. When I'm done with the grounds, I do a 360 and disperse the stuff. I've never seen a trace afterwards (unless one of my unfortunate partners is within flinging range)”

“LyndyS: heh.. I like the idea of no trace.. but coffee grounds?.. *lol*.. nopers.. might as well tell me to pack out leftover food too.

To me? 'No trace' is about paper, wrappings, cans, packaging.. Oh well.”

“oh.. and like all the other normal rules concerning fires and campsites.

but no.. I don't sweat the biodegradable stuff.”

“Coffee grounds are actually a favorite food of the earthworm! I learned that during my son's 5th grade science project. We fed worms for months!

It really depends on where I am as to how I dispose of or carry out coffee grounds. If I'm in an area where fires are part of the experience I burn them. I don't scatter, but I will bury in small amounts.”

“I just gotta see those earthworms gettin' crazy on coffee grounds!

I'd be a scatterer........for shame!”

“It's just that there was a thread about this when I first joined TT, and I was surprised that people packed out the grounds. I'm a gardener and use the grounds in my compost. But the LNT idea started because of the heavy use of some backpacking sites. Campfire ashes, coffee grounds, and poop were becoming a problem, due to the volume of people using any particular site. If you are in an area that does not see dozens of backpackers everyday, then coffee grounds are probably healthy for the environment. Otherwise, pack EVERYTHING out, that is the LNT idea as I understand it.”

“I'd draw the line at leftover food (if I ever had any). That will attract varmints and will nasty up the site for the next person.

Not trying to hurt your feelings Dawg, your threads just make me hungry.”

“You guys have food leftovers?”

“"If you are in an area that does not see dozens of backpackers everyday"

Trust me LyndyS, any area that sees dozens of backpackers everyday, I am NOT there. I purposely pick places that other people don't backpack, or at least not the month I go.

:)

Violin: heh.. ya.. you know know I love to eat. Folks that have hiked with me know I don't let anyone starve.”

“"Not trying to hurt your feelings Dawg, your threads just make me hungry."

Perfect opportunity to tell him to eat your shorts!”

“I just dump my coffee grounds. Who are you folks kidding?”

“I leave nothing that does not originally come from the area that I am backpacking in - except poop. So that leaves nothing I can think of. I pack out everything including tp. LNT means LNT. I also carry out whatever I can that has been left there by unclean hikers.

check it out www.lnt.org

As for the coffee filters - I dry them out as much as I can and pack them out. With your logic - you could also leave orange peels, nut shells, practically anything but manmade items. How about the effect on animals in the area . I have been in the company of hikers that pack their pee to the next latrine (Estes, CO) to ease the impact on Alpine areas. I haven't done that - but make it a habit to urinate on rocks away from vegitation.

We teach the boys purely LNT - no exceptions.”

“"Trust me LyndyS, any area that sees dozens of backpackers everyday, I am NOT there. I purposely pick places that other people don't backpack, or at least not the month I go."

So this makes it okay? You should be protecting those areas just as enthuastically as high traffic areas - even more and keep them as they are.”

“...but you guys don't haul out your poop? I'd rather have coffee grounds near my campsite than fecal matter.”

“from the site

"Dispose of Waste Properly

* Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.

* Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.

* Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.

* To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater."”

“Its buried SFB”

“LNT: I'm impressed, but I gotta tell ya.. 'how to sh*t in the woods' never told me to pack out my poop, and I WILL not do that.”

“I think you're safe

Sorry about the soapbox, but what we do effects what others will think is ok. Then things will just get worse. Kids especially learn by example.

I'm curious. . . . .How many of you guys break up firerings in "no campfire areas"?”

“I ALWAYS break up fire rings in no fire areas!!! A pet peeve of mine. But I don't pack my coffee grounds out and doubt if I ever will.”

“We try to clean up a few in the wilderness areas. The rangers have to do it anyway. We disperse the partially burned wood and ashes, scatter the rocks and mix in some dirt. Some people leave pretty nasty messes with wrappers, cans, and food piled in them. We'll even haul out some of their garbage.”

“We break up fire rings also. I teach LNT for our BSA Council. In the videl - they say to throw the rocks into nearby rivers - lakes. This seems nuts to me. So we just dispurse the rocks.

I'm surprised at you Kleetn!”

“Packin' out the piss, huh?
And the crap as well?
What does one carry piss in anyway?
Do I really want to know?

Some of this seems a bit over-zealous.

Strained wash-water?
I don't use soap......ha! gotcha!

I use my tongue and paper towels and steam!”

“i pack put everything, except excrement, yo!”

“which get packed in ?


(sorry, I tried to resist)”

“I leave fire rings alone, on the premise that once one has gotten started, it's best to leave it where it is, so that, if someone DOES make a fire, they'll hopefully use the existing ring, thereby cutting down on the propagation of new fire rings in a campsite.

I personally don't make fires, but it's mostly because I'm too lazy, not so much because of the "leave no trace" philosophy (to which I do indeed subscribe). I also stay cleaner and I keep my night vision by not having a fire. Basically, I learned in my 30s (I'm now in my 40s) that good clothing is a better alternative to having a fire.

By the way, I got much of my backpacking philosophy from my father, who used to tell me the following proverb:

(told in the voice of a wise Native American):

"When White Man make fire, he do much work, gather many wood, make big fire; so big, he have to stand far back from fire. Front side get warm, but back side get cold.

"Indian much smarter. When Indian make fire, he gather only little wood, make small fire, so he stand much closer to fire. Front side still get warm, back side still get cold, but Indian do less work!"”

“This has been a GREAT thread.. and I just found out that a really good friend of mine is who posted it on the Rodale site.

I suppose what I am seeing is that there are some variances on how deep we take LNT.

Aero sounds like me. If a previous camper leaves a mess, I will shake my head in disgust and then promptly do my best to get it back to normal.

The most aggravating thing to me is the lowlifes who take the time to haul beer in and can't seem to haul the EMPTY cans out.

I only see this at campsites/shelters close to the road tho, cos the DH's don't have the courage/strength to hike up some of the places I do.”

“the last trip i was on (with HOI) i made a comment to him on the amount of trash we found. other than the garbage at our intial meeting camp, which can be reached by car, i found two pieces of garbage. and we walked for two days. i was amazed. the area we camped in the second night showed much use as far as camping, but no garbage. this was in a part of a wilderness area that probably sees little day use.”

“Exactly. If they can get their fat a$$es on a four wheeler and stumble into camp or not loose the trail (translated: it's a really wide well marked path) - then you might find evidence that they were there.”

“It's Clinton's fault.”

“i rarely have a fire, either.

only when i'm with someone besides my wife, so i don't even burn stuff.

what's with people who bring 50 ziplock bags of stuff, then burn them all at camp? you carried them in, full. why is it so hard to carry them out, empty?”

“So is New Madrid, kleetn.”

“Violin: I haul all my ziplocks back out and use them again.

Tehipite: New Madrid? As in the faultline that will swallow all of us new southerners alive in the next few years?”

“There are some foods that can be safely scattered. Coffee grounds is one. Orange peels and bananas are not.

If you do bury or scatter food -- take a hike! Don't do this near your campsite. Pack up the stuff you are going dispose and hike it a good distance cross country (not up/down trail), 200-300 meters minimum. This way you will not invite critters for the next camper. If you bury, put it in the fermention layer and mix soil with it. Don't dig so deep you are in mineral soil.”

“TownDawg--that's the one! It also happens to be the perfect comeback to all those gibes about California falling into the ocean. ;-)”

“tehipite,,good point, no more jokes about the west coast being in Nevada for those of us who live in Memphis”

“I hope I am not still around when the big one hits the New Madrid. Memphis and St. Louis will take a beating, and Chicago and Indianapolis could have some serious problems. Not sure what this has to do with coffee grounds. Red worms turn coffee grounds into great compost. That doesn't help much on the trail, though.”

“Pack it in - Pack it out”

“the next time TD scatters the grounds, he can think of it as "feeding the worms",,no offense TD,,I scatter too, but looking at this thread it does make me think about it,,,”

“caffeine - another addictive substance best avoided if at all possible - take the "cure" and cut down on pack weight (grin)”

“You mean NO COFFEE? Aaaghhhh!”

“We hit 8.4 on the richter, and we might ALL be feeding the worms.”

“i dont drink coffee, while backpacking. green tea, only.”