A little help with Leave No Trace

Hi All,

On the 29th of December I left Moon Haw Road on a very damp precipitous morning and from Buzz's parking lot and followed the blue trail up to the State Land boundary marker. I proceeded up to Balsam Cap keeping on the lower south western side of the ridge approach to Friday. Turning south near the col to Balsam Cap and then after signing in, reversed course which was easy due to the snow cover.

I was wearing a very bright Blaze Orange pack cover on my backpack which was (I thought) securely fastened to my pack.

Well, it was left somewhere up there, as it was pulled off my pack, much to my surprise and dismay.

The conditions were deteriorating and having no idea when it was pulled off the pack I felt I had to continue on back to the car.

I believe it was pulled off somewhere between the summit and the point where I turned east after leaving the col area.

If, in your travels you come across the pack cover, please do pick it up and take it off the mountain. If you find it, please keep it as I obviously don't deserve to have it.

I would simply be thrilled to know if someone does or has managed to stumble across it.

Thanks All - Zer0-G

As a matter of fact, we did see your pack cover when we had a 3500 Club hike up there on New Years Eve. It was in fact between Balsam Cap summit and the col. The bright blaze stuck out like a sore thumb. A couple of people went over to investigate, and now I can't remember if they grabbed it or not. I'll bring this to the attention of the guy who was leading the hike, though. He probably will remember.

Hey, it was good of you to post about this-accidents do happen. One time in the Shawangunks a strong wind grabbed a Clif Bar wrapper away from me and deposited it right into a deep crevice below Table Rocks. It was completely visible to anyone who looked into the crevice, but impossible to get w/o ropes, unless you wanted to risk a broken leg or worse. That really bugged me.

Matt

Well I'll Be!!!

Great, I hope someone grabbed it. At the time I purchased it it was a custom made cover from Dancing Light Gear. I use it primarily in hunting season. I use it alot when I'm bushwhacking in case I need it for a signal device in case of emergencies. Dancing light gear has since added this color to it's standard inventory of pack covers.

Leave No Trace - I care about it alot so I was really concerned when I lost it. It's interesting how so many people have different ideas about Leave no Trace.

The ethics, the actions, the results and opinions are always a topic of conversation on some of the backpacks I lead.

I'd love to hear more about this topic - what others have to say, stories etc...

I got a million of them.

Zer0-G said:

If you find it, please keep it as I obviously don't deserve to have it.

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Hey,

As an expert self-prosecutor, I would say in your defense that "ALL have sinned and fallen short." Simply by being, we use up the planet. A member of an old-money family explained to me once (only after many years and my insistence on his commentary) that the ethic in his family was to use the family money all one needs, but leave it a larger pile when done. You do drive an internal-combustion engine, don't you?

Pick up a few extra pieces of litter and your karma will be restored! [Insert marginally appropriate here.]

--M.

Zer0-G said:

If, in your travels you come across the pack cover, please do pick it up and take it off the mountain. If you find it, please keep it as I obviously don't deserve to have it.

Thanks All - Zer0-G

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I concur with -M about the karma. We're all human and make mistakes, even if we try to eliminate them. I'm sure the majority of us have mistakingly left behind a bit of rubbish before, and if we knew about it, we'd feel like crap. Best thing to do is pick up some when you see it. I always do (so long as it fits in my pockets or pack).

Over the years, my karma when picking up trash has resulted in finding Nikon binoculars under an empty Dinty Moore stew can, and an AA MagLite amongst candy wrappers in a Harriman mine.

Jim

LOST: About 5 years ago I lost a brand new EMS System III jacket when it slid away from the lid of my pack near the summit of Adams in high winds. Now I attach gear much more securely, ie with a caribiner if I can't stow it inside the pack. Two summers ago my friend Brian and I lost the top to a plastic container in between rocks on Boot Spur, and it was out of our reach. We covered the crack with other rocks and plan to go back for it with a pair of long needle nose pliers.

FOUND: I dedicate a pocket in my zip off pants for the wrappers (and, yes, sometimes even tissues) I occasionally find. Was delighted recently to find the rubber tip to a hiking pole which will replace the one I lost somewhere on another trail. Found a camera once in Baxter on rocks by a beautiful waterfall and was happy to be able to return it to its owner, who was hiking back up the trail in search of it. But the BEST thing I've found on the trail have been great friendships.

...and if you don't find the odd piece of liter on the trail, I can always find plenty of trash (for better or worse!) at trailheads, typically more so than on the trail. Enough so that I always hit myself for not bringing a plastic grocery bag with me on all my hikes. If I'm waiting for somebody or just warming up, walk around and pick up the trash at the trailheads.

P.S. Zero-G, are you joinging me on KHP this weekend or not, I saw your reply in T&E but haven't heard a thing since.

Jay

LNT - a little help

Well, I have certainly lost a few things.
A (pardon) Snot Rag that was clipped onto my pack on Rusk last Saturday.
A watch at the summit of Fir.
A very small very thin very light pad I used for sitting on at a trail junction on the escarpment trail. I got up, and it didn't follow me. The ungrateful thing it was. Y'know, a lot of my friends are telling me I'm going senile, and, y'know something else? A lot of my friends are tellin me I'm going senile. Whatever.

I routinely pick up garbage and, dare I say hazardous waste (bandaids etc...) - A special baggie for that one.

But again returning to Leave no trace - I had a "discussion" with a friend of mine one day on the trail.

He was crossing a stream that day we were all hot and sweaty. We took a break on the other side of the stream.
He put down his pack took out a plastic freezer bag, filled it halfway with water, took some Dr. Bonners and dropped a few drops into the bag. Shook it up, took his bandanna and walked about 20 feet away from the stream.
He proceeded to give himself a "bath".

I took out my bandanna, sat down on a rock in the stream, dipped my bandanna washed my face, neck, pits, legs etc...with just water.

He was upset that I was doing that. I said, no soap, no problem. He said I was violating LNT principles. Tit for Tat I said, nope. But you are because technically you should be at least 150 feet from the waters edge.

Well we managed to finish the hike without smelling each other.

So, I checked it out with a Head Honcho Leave No Trace guy at AMC when I did the MLS course. He said (not that I'm bragging because it's not the point), I was right.

Made me think, according to my friend, following the logic, we should never even put our dirty boots into the stream when we cross. Never Skinny dip on a hot day, never put a dirty end of a water filter into the stream. Never go into the woods in general.

moosilauke trash pick up

We did a video about the hook ups you get when you pick up trash on the trail

its under NH 48 (moosilauke) in the video section..dont know the link off hand, but its one of the best vids we did! bird

You guys had some GOOD karma that day, Bird.

Heres a direct link for ya: Moosilauke Trash Pickup

balloons

Mostly I prefer to bushwhack off trail, remote pondhopping is my thing. Apart from occasional ancient logging camp trash I don't see much garbage where I go.

But I can't get over how many deflated mylar balloons I have seen in the past couple of years. Most frequently I see them washed up on a shoreline, sometimes just scattered about randomly in the woods. Last summer it seems I often found (and picked up) one or even two on more trips than not. I have yet to find a reward attached to any of them though. Are there massive midwest balloon launches I don't know about?

Nessmuk said:

... Are there massive midwest balloon launches I don't know about? ...

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Probably not, but I have heard and read of people launching balloons with post cards attached to them (even school groups! ) so they can be returned. Apparently it's 'fun' to try to communicate with people in this way.

Tom Rankin said:

Probably not, but I have heard and read of people launching balloons with post cards attached to them (even school groups! ) so they can be returned. Apparently it's 'fun' to try to communicate with people in this way.

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Conjures up this scenario-some LNT-minded person finds the postcard/balloon, writes back to the kid. Some school kid get his postcard back with a lecture!

Bird and Head, that one is over the top, even for you guys!

Matt

I found a balloon with a string attached on a trail near my home in western MA...I brought it home and after some sleuthing, I was able to figure out the lettering on the balloon.....it was a political advertisement for a guy running for mayor of Troy, NY. I gave him a call, not to admonish him, but to share the fact that I had found his balloon which travelled over 100 miles.....he said he was told that the balloons were biodegradable and would 'go back to the earth' after a period of time....ha!!!...a politician indeed!!! He did win the election.....

Which is more biodegradable....Dr. Bonners or spilled Gatorade???

...Jade

Head said:

Heres a direct link for ya: Moosilauke Trash Pickup

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I think I may have actually wet my pants watching that.

I figure on a good bushwack like Lone -Rocky or BC- Friday or SW I can find enough gear to replace what I lose myself. Often I can upgrade so I am properly dressed for the season I finally emerge in (If I leave in August, I sometimes have winter gear on when I crawl out in Jan.)
Seriously, I have brought out all kinds of equipment and garbage, it amazes me sometimes what people will discard. I do draw the line at diapers and other such soiled items, I've done enough Ems and rescue over the years to realize how much bad stuff there is out there. So if you do pick up such things, be protected.