Leave No Trace is seven principles and they sound like common sense. Some of them don't apply the same way here as they do in the Rockies.
Camping on durable surfaces, in a rainforest
Much of the Southern Appalachians is technically rainforest. That means almost nothing is truly "durable" underfoot. Established sites are still your best option, even when they look muddier than the surrounding forest. Don't widen sites or make new ones.
If you do disperse-camp, pick rock or deep duff, not the fern patch that looks flat. Ferns take years to recover.
Fires
I used to build fires every trip. I stopped two years ago. Here's why: most Southeast forests are increasingly drought-prone in summer, and even "contained" fires leave long-term impact on soil chemistry. If I want hot food, I cook. If I want a fire, I go to a developed campground.
Where fires are allowed, use established rings. Burn only downed wood, nothing thicker than your wrist.
Waste
Cathole depth. 6 to 8 inches. People get lazy here and it shows. In the Southeast, microbes break down waste fast, but only if you give them contact with the soil. A 3-inch hole is not enough.
Pack out toilet paper. Yes, even if it's "biodegradable." In wet environments it doesn't break down fast enough. Ziploc, done.
Water
200 feet from water for everything. Kitchen, waste, wash. This matters more in the Southeast than you'd think because so many streams are small and already silted from agriculture.
The thing I keep getting wrong
Noise. I'm a loud hiker. I'm working on it. Other people are out there for the quiet, and I should be part of that, not in spite of it.
None of this is about purity. It's about leaving the places we love in good shape for the next person. That's the whole idea.
