Trash on Twin/Leave No Trace

[Jay H]

I have managed to spear tissues and stuff with my trekking poles.

Alternatively, one could use a pair of trekking poles like one huge pair of chopsticks!

Of course, one could haul around a shopvac.... But I think I'm going overboard here.

If you think finding stuff on the trail is odd, you should see the crap I find when on lakes in my kayak.

Jay

[carole]

That was my trash run yesterday – one from the summit, one descending the main trail, and one from the parking lot. The inventory is unbelievable but typical – water bottles, wrappers, cups, diapers!!, cans, bottles, gloves, a sneaker, a child’s fleece pullover, plastic bags and yes toilet paper. I do pick up the TP also as I am noticing that more are using the moist wipes that are thicker and won’t breakdown like the TP. I either carry a latex glove or use a small plastic bag as a glove.

This is a popular hike and sadly it gets trashed often. Fortunately this is not what I find on most trails in the White Mountains. For hikes there I only carry a small bag and rarely find anything to put in it.

[Jim lombard]

From Carole

Fortunately this is not what I find on most trails in the White Mountains

True, but the worst I've seen in the Whites is the Jewell trail. This past July I picked up quite a bit of trash but I draw the line at TP. Once in April I hiked down alongside the cog tracks and picked up a big trash bag full of junk. I always wondered why the workers there didn't pick it up along with the tons of coal littered along the tracks.

[Orphic Seth]

Hmmm...

What I find most curious is the amount of tin foil and cans and glass I find in fire rings. People still seem to think that they will burn away. One pocket on my pack is dedicated to smaller scraps of garbage and it is powdered with ash.

This is nice, hearing about all the people who pick up trash. I for one, pick up every little scrap I come across, because it leaves me empowered, as I have a lent a hand in maintaining my public wilderness as just that, wilderness. The woods have offered me the refuge needed to get away, to find peace within myself, to rejuvenate... and to return a favor is part of the process. The wilderness is of such incredible value to me, I do not let anything go by, including toilet paper. Hell, once somebody wiped with a sock and left it in a bush, but into the garbage bag it went. Maybe that sounds extreme to some folks, but I don't have to go home feeling guilty that I left a place that I consider sacred smeared with litter.

One of my more interesting finds was a Corona bottle with a decomposing dead mouse in it. It was actually more sludge than mouse, but I guess that's what made it interesting.

[MattC]

Man, you people are the greatest. I just needed to get something off my chest and it turned into this long conversation about trash pickup. Thanks all of you for your responses. I appreciate all the wisdom, humor, irreverance, energy and sincere love for the backcountry. I feel better knowing there's so many like y'all picking up after the less enlightented. Hike on...

Matt

Hiking-the most fun you can have with your gear on.

[Jay H]

I just came back from a fall folliage kayak on the Rio Reservoir (Orange/Sullivan county, NY) and picked up a bunch of trash from the launch site... The Rio is a beautiful gem of a lake/reservoir with only one private beach club on the island. it's also an Eagle habitat though I didn't see any today. Anyway, picked up a 6 pack of Bud bottles, numerous other trash on the way out. What's even better is that we're not only taking trash, I recycle the bottles I find.

What is truly sad as far as lakes go, is the hundreds of syrofoam and plastic bait cups that fishermen leave on the shore... Very annoying cause I can't conceivable pick them all up myself unless I want to spent all my time kayaking picking up trash cause having to land, get out, pick up can, relaunch is time consuming. I did manage to pick one of them out that was floating. Why is it so hard for the damm fisherman to pack out their bait containers.. ?

Jay

[ecc]

In the past, though not liking to see trash on the trail,like Mrs. G, I was grossed out by actually picking it up (unless it was an empty bottle or something relatively clean like that). Upon reading this thread I promise I will start doing so immediately. Starting with my hike today!
ecc

[Barbarossa]

OK, you convinced me. I typically find myself disgusted at the litterbugs and I remind myself that I should bring a trash bag next time. Because I read this thread before hiking, I did bring one this time. I ended up picking up a fair amount of trash, including what I think was a frozen butt-wipe.

One item I picked up was a bunch of white powder, double bagged! Even though I was sure it was powdered milk, I actually considered turning in at a local police station. Better to get a couple sideways glances at the station than to try to explain to a NH trooper. (I'm from Masssachusetts, and my driving shows it)

"Honest, Officer! I found it at the side of the trail!"

[Jay H]

Could of been powdered milk or it could have been like powdered gatorade (or something in the same category)...

Only one way to find out....

Jay

[Barbarossa]

Could of been powdered milk or it could have been like powdered gatorade (or something in the same category)...

Only one way to find out....

Jay

It turned out to be flour.

Achoo!

[Jay H]

gesundheit



Jay

[Stan]

"People are really dispicable." Caligula