Trash on the trail

John G

John G

Joined
Jul 4, 2008
Messages
1,514
Does anyone else notice how filthy our trails are? :( I notice it, and it bothers me. While reading the moccasin thread, I imagined the danger posed by certain trash left by thoughtless people. Knock on wood, let's not step on anything sharp and man-made. Time to do something about it, I suppose.

I've starting carrying a spare plastic grocery bag in order to do some minor pick-up work as I wander the woods. I'm not sure it's the best thing for broken glass, or rusty metal objects, but it'll handle most everything else. I'm considering some sort of dump pouch, maybe a Maxpedition "rolypoly." I figure it'll be more puncture resistant than the thin plastic I'm using now. I'm not getting too hardcore about it, not hauling out truckloads of junk or anything. I'm not going to become the janitor of the wilderness, I just figure I'll feel better if I do a little bit every time I'm out.

Any thoughts?
 
John G said:
Does anyone else notice how filthy our trails are? :( I notice it, and it bothers me. While reading the moccasin thread, I imagined the danger posed by certain trash left by thoughtless people. Knock on wood, let's not step on anything sharp and man-made. Time to do something about it, I suppose.
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Yeah, its something I have noticed for years. Some people are just ignorant pigs, I guess. :mad:

I too will pick up things when I notice them along the trail or at a campsite. Its mostly paper or plastic wrappers, so its not like it weighs anything and it makes me feel better about myself and our trails. :thumbup:
 
I've got one of those nylon ditty bags just for trail trash. It's annoying to see it, but I guess it's inevitable. People just don't understand how much of an impact it makes. I see bird nests with candy wrappers and stuff in it now. :(
 
I do quite a bit of fishing and it really "P'S" me off when people throw all kinds of crap and bottles and cans in the water, The trails too but I notice the lake more.:mad::mad: I really hate broken glass anywhere.
 
I tend to pick up a bit when I go out. Most of the official trails around here have pretty conscientious users. The worst is glass in murky rivers or lakes. I cut my foot pretty badly by stepping on a broken bottle when I was a kid.

Last time I only found a hair tie and a bic. Unfortunately I couldn't use either of them.
 
The Trails? Well, yeah, its a bit over the top to throw out trash on the trail...but in my day to day travels, I see tons of trash everywhere. Its pretty depressing. Every time I see a smoker in traffic, almost 99% of them throw out thier "butts" onto the side of the road. I want to get out and run up...and throw my coffee in thier face!
 
Don't know much about the trails but I spend every second weekend training up marines and our rule is leave nothing behind. That being said they always do, I inspect every site they use and beast the hell out of the whole troop if I find anything.

Worse bit of it is the other units that use the areas leave them completely riddled with foil packaging and other trash. That stuff will never breakdown but obviously they and their training team give not a damn.

Only good thing is I find quite a lot of kit just left behind so i'm good for tent pegs, bungees, batteries, paracord, lighters and such for the rest of my life. Not to mention other stuff like tarps (our issue bivie/poncho) and gortex trousers.

Sometimes it pays to be a magpie/scavenger.
 
It's funny to me.

In my travels in the woods I have found a rule that at least I have found to be true.

"The easier for it is for a person to haul litter out of the woods the more likely they are to leave it"
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ATV riders are some of the worst. Where ATV's are garbage follows.

Fishermen are next. Except trout fishermen seem to be a bit better than average.

Horseback riders are pretty bad. Last time I went back to one of my favorite out of the way campsites the horseback riders had found it. Garbage. A table made from PVC pipe, 2 huge blue tarps.

Backpackers are not immune to leaving stuf but less than the others. Also the closer the backpacking campsite is to the road the more likely garbage will be at it.
 
I just don't get the mentality of slobs who leave litter behind, be it trail or elsewhere. It's heartbreaking to see an otherwise pristine area littered with garbage. Some of the worst, most lasting trash material are those plastic bags and Styrofoam cups. If I could get just those two banned we would be well on our way to a cleaner environment.
 
hollowdweller said:
It's funny to me.

In my travels in the woods I have found a rule that at least I have found to be true.



ATV riders are some of the worst. Where ATV's are garbage follows.

Fishermen are next. Except trout fishermen seem to be a bit better than average.

Horseback riders are pretty bad. Last time I went back to one of my favorite out of the way campsites the horseback riders had found it. Garbage. A table made from PVC pipe, 2 huge blue tarps.

Backpackers are not immune to leaving stuf but less than the others. Also the closer the backpacking campsite is to the road the more likely garbage will be at it.
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Some pretty sound observations HD.
 
IUKE12 said:
Some pretty sound observations HD.
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Hey IUKE!

I've still been loving that alcohol stove you sent me a while back!

Fill that stove all the way up, set a 2 qt pan on it with 3 tablespoons of popcorn and 3 tablespoons of oil and you have no need for jiffy pop on the trail:thumbup:
 
gunknifenut said:
The Trails? Well, yeah, its a bit over the top to throw out trash on the trail...but in my day to day travels, I see tons of trash everywhere. Its pretty depressing. Every time I see a smoker in traffic, almost 99% of them throw out thier "butts" onto the side of the road. I want to get out and run up...and throw my coffee in thier face!
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GKK,

And here I thought folks were more "civilized" up North!
 
I think it's kind of disheartening to see cigarette butts on trails. Especially hard ones. I mean I'm busting my ass on the trail, but someone else can do it all while breathing in fumes.

I want to hike Everest one day and bring a bag of cigarette butts with me and scatter them around the top. Just so someone gets up there says to themselves "who the hell thought it was that easy?" (That was a joke of course.)
 
It can be frustrating to arrive at one of your favourite wilderness spots, only to find garbage strewn everywhere. This is one of the reasons why I am a big fan of trail associations or hiking groups. Many of my local trails link up with the excellent Bruce Trail Conservancy, which is looked after by volunteers and members. Volunteers undertake regular cleanup and maintenance walks, and regular members take pride in the trail and generally pick up after the slobs (who are almost always non-members and casual hikers). The result, at least around the Blue Mountains sections, is a remarkably clean trail.

Generally speaking, and bearing in mind my personal and professional tendencies towards pacifism and restorative justice, I believe that people who leave garbage in the wilderness should be fed to wolverines. But that's just me. :D

All the best,

- Mike
 
Squeezymo said:
I think it's kind of disheartening to see cigarette butts on trails. Especially hard ones. I mean I'm busting my ass on the trail, but someone else can do it all while breathing in fumes.

I want to hike Everest one day and bring a bag of cigarette butts with me and scatter them around the top. Just so someone gets up there says to themselves "who the hell thought it was that easy?" (That was a joke of course.)
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I have two buddies that are much thinner than me.

They usually pass me in the morning but by the evening the wife and I are waiting for them to catch up.

The only thing I can figure is they both smoke while hiking a lot and they wind up with not enough 02.
 
Stuff doesn't bother me hardly at all, but THIS is one thing that just Pisses me off!!!!

I do a lot of fishing and hiking, camping, backpacking, and it seems I always come home with my cargo pocket, or both, full of garbage. The only thing I don't touch is tissues/toilet paper.

I agree, feed them to the wolverines!
 
I believe that people who leave garbage in the wilderness should be fed to wolverines. But that's just me.
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I second that emotion.

I've packed hundreds of pounds of cans and glass and shell casing out of my neck of the woods. I've thought seriously about....

...uh, never mind..... ;)
 
IUKE12 said:
Some of the worst, most lasting trash material are those plastic bags and Styrofoam cups. If I could get just those two banned we would be well on our way to a cleaner environment.
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I agree. That's my biggest pet peeve back home in Hawaii, plastic bags on beaches.

I also have an extreme dislike for people who leave their cigarette butts anywhere but in a trashcan.

Third on the wolverine feeding :thumbup:
 
To tell the truth, I find the trails I encounter much better today than lets say 20 years ago. Ever since the crying native (give a hoot don't pollute) many people at least understand they are being an idiot when they toss garbage on the ground. In the seventies it almost seemed the other way around!

I hate cigarette butts too. I especially hate it when they dump them in the bbq stands at car camping areas. Who wants to cook their stake over your old bleeding gums? I hat bubble gum on the tables. I also hate dog turds in the middle of the trail. I mean come on. I have two dogs. Sometimes they will do their duty sight unseen, but I'm not going to leave a steaming pile right down the center lane!
 
Here in SO CALI garbage is the norm.. When my sis started to date her now husband. on a first camping trip we had a sort of a bad 15 min when i seen him throwing garbage around the camp. He didnt even think about it just did it. He does it no more lol..
Same time went on a hike with a group of people.. There was one guy that talked too much, knew everything about everything. You know the kind im talking about you just want to push him off the cliff.. Said to my self i would never go hiking if he is there.. Then on the way back he pulls plastic bags and collects atlist 10lb of garbag on the way out.. changed my opinion about him right there and then..



Sasha
 
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