View Full Version : Ever notice stashed trail magic doesn't use bear bags?
Got to chuckling the other day about trail magic....you know, the stashed boxes and coolers of drinks and snacks unattended at the trail side.....
and
the debate about sleeping with food, hanging your food, etc....
Oh yeah, hire a few people think leaving trail magic is more akin to littering than magic.
That said, I found several sodas and beers on trail last year that meant to much to me i couldn’t advocate against them
MuddyWaters
04-08-2018, 11:11
Yep.
Usually close enough to roads nothing happens, just inside trees.
But, its still ignorant, self-serving, and often illegal. It is often illegal to cache food or leave unprotected on nfs land.
AllDownhillFromHere
04-08-2018, 12:29
Got to chuckling the other day about trail magic....you know, the stashed boxes and coolers of drinks and snacks unattended at the trail side.....
and the debate about sleeping with food, hanging your food, etc....
Oddly I've never found one trashed by animals. Either the coolers I've left, or the coolers I've taken from. I think it must be combination of proximity to the road and that animals tend to be less active during the day. I bet if you hauled a cooler far into the woods and left it for a few days there'd be a different story.
Sarcasm the elf
04-08-2018, 13:09
Oddly I've never found one trashed by animals. Either the coolers I've left, or the coolers I've taken from. I think it must be combination of proximity to the road and that animals tend to be less active during the day. I bet if you hauled a cooler far into the woods and left it for a few days there'd be a different story.
I certainly have run across the remains of a cooler on trail that was ransacked by animals. It looked as if it exploded in a 25 yard radius.
Slo-go'en
04-08-2018, 13:48
There's a sturdy wooden goodie box stocked by a church group somewhere in NC, but it might be in VA. There's a steel goodie box also stocked by a church group just south of Damascus. But these are permanent. Not the spur of the moment "I'll just leave a cooler full of snacks next to the trail and maybe come back to pick up the trash in a few days" type of deal. How come when ever I come across one of these coolers, it's always empty?
Random acts of kindness shall not be tolerated!
Random acts of kindness shall not be tolerated!
More often than not, it turns into litter. Who cleans that up?
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
Christoph
04-08-2018, 14:49
Most of the ones I ran across had some sort of lock on them or were just outside of a parking lot. There were a few though that were empty of magic and people started dumping trash in them. Huge mess and animals were obviously present. Not going to say I didn't enjoy a little magic here and there but if it's out there, I'd hope it's being done right (come back and clean up, make it secure so animals don't trash it, etc...).
Random acts of kindness shall not be tolerated!
I don't really know for sure if that was directed at the original post....but that's not what I meant. My comment is more about that leaving food unattended on the ground doesn't magically mean that animals WILL get it it right away...... it's just kinda funny, not worried about it here, but then just a few steps down trail we invest tons of money, time, and effort into the merits of getting a good hang of our bag, or do we need a 'certified' and overpriced container...
AllDownhillFromHere
04-08-2018, 16:03
I certainly have run across the remains of a cooler on trail that was ransacked by animals. It looked as if it exploded in a 25 yard radius.
You have? Or you certainly have? I would hope that you're certain.
Sarcasm the elf
04-08-2018, 17:28
You have? Or you certainly have? I would hope that you're certain.
The only thing I’m certain of is that between the baby being up late and my toddler waking up at 5:45am I’m running on about 3.5 hours sleep. I probably shouldn’t be trusted to word my comments correctly. ;)
Highland Goat
04-08-2018, 17:36
When I was hiking through Maine I saw a cooler on a bridge with gnaw marks all over. However, I suspect that hikers got to the chocolate cake before the wildlife did.
SWODaddy
04-08-2018, 20:24
Random acts of kindness shall not be tolerated!
42444
(not my picture)
rocketsocks
04-08-2018, 20:55
42444
(not my picture)...and that’s the reality right there!
rocketsocks
04-08-2018, 20:58
So next time you’re bushehackin’ or set up high on a cliff and ya think to yourself, man I bet no ones ever been here before, so remote...and then ya spot an empty box of Krispy Creme’s. Kinda takes the Wow out of it, eh?
SoaknWet
04-09-2018, 06:57
Wonder if the person who took that picture bothered to do anything about it. Easy to complain little harder to correct a problem. I've carried more trash from the woods then I can to remember, sad part 99% wasn't mine.
Offshore
04-09-2018, 07:18
Wonder if the person who took that picture bothered to do anything about it. Easy to complain little harder to correct a problem. I've carried more trash from the woods then I can to remember, sad part 99% wasn't mine.
I've come across this type of display in NJ and have cleaned it up. I'd say the real question is whether whoever put this trash out (I consider food left on the trail in a disposable Styrofoam cooler in a bear-rich environment like NJ to be trash) ever planned on coming back to clean it up. From what I've seen, the answer is no.
I've come across this type of display in NJ and have cleaned it up. I'd say the real question is whether whoever put this trash out (I consider food left on the trail in a disposable Styrofoam cooler in a bear-rich environment like NJ to be trash) ever planned on coming back to clean it up. From what I've seen, the answer is no.
Probably not. They were too busy going on Facebook to tell everyone what they did in a sad attempt to get likes.
BuckeyeBill
04-09-2018, 14:34
I also pick up trash while out hiking. the one thing I also do that has almost led to a few fights, was when I called someone out on dropping their trash on the trail or throwing things into the fire pit. Some people just don't get it.
Lone Wolf
04-09-2018, 15:04
saw some "magic" trash at the trailhead at summit cut today
HYOH. Just walk on by. I don't ingest anything from strangers. People are trying to be nice - often older folks who can't hike much now, or folks busy working who want to contribute.
TwoSpirits
04-09-2018, 20:55
Hiking from HF to Rockfish Gap last fall, I never came across any trail magic on the trail (though met some *wonderful* angels, who were very magic for me!), but I did find a small, steady supply of trash along the way --wrappers, ziplocks, & empty water bottles mostly. I certainly saw more of that than I did any bears.
I picked up what I could reach easily, though I regret I didn't make more of an effort when I saw crap more than a few feet off the trail. But one day I came across a small ziplock sitting on a log, right on the trail. I grumbled to myself, picked it up and stuffed it in my pocket, and continued my grind up the hill. At the end of the day, emptying my pockets into my trashbag for the night I noticed what was in the bag: a couple of joints.
Not my thing, and I doubt the bears would have been interested, but I'm sure somebody was missing their magic that night.
AllDownhillFromHere
04-09-2018, 20:58
Not my thing, and I doubt the bears would have been interested, but I'm sure somebody was missing their magic that night.
That was magic meant for you.
BuckeyeBill
04-10-2018, 09:50
That was magic meant for you.
Be someone's luck a park ranger would be in the area just when they were sparking it up. I don't think they would believe you found it in with the trash.
TwoSpirits
04-10-2018, 12:33
Be someone's luck a park ranger would be in the area just when they were sparking it up. I don't think they would believe you found it in with the trash.LOL I thought about that. But after spending the better part of the day in my back pocket (a day with a couple of unintended butt-slides at that) it was all pretty gnarly looking...I had to look twice to be sure that it was what I thought it was.
42444
(not my picture)
this whole thread has missed the point. Magic left in flimsy coolers is not hiker magic, it’s bear and rodent magic!
you are all so egocentric... everything about me me me.
my personal favorite hiker magics are making trash disappear, being a hiker advocate, maintaining trails, offering rides, allowing others curtesy and space to interact or not, offering my take on what you are doing wrong only when asked.
Leaving trash in the woods is not cool.
AllDownhillFromHere
04-10-2018, 15:03
...you are all so egocentric... everything about me me me.
... offering my take on what you are doing wrong only when asked.
You must not be able to read your own post from atop that horse.
[QUOTE=AllDownhillFromHere;2203920]You must not be able to read your own post from atop that horse.[/QUOTE
littering Is not cool.
this whole thread has missed the point. Magic left in flimsy coolers is not hiker magic, it’s bear and rodent magic!
you are all so egocentric... everything about me me me.
my personal favorite hiker magics are making trash disappear, being a hiker advocate, maintaining trails, offering rides, allowing others curtesy and space to interact or not, offering my take on what you are doing wrong only when asked.
Leaving trash in the woods is not cool.
Well, you can hike with me any time. Or do a little trail maintenance.
BuckeyeBill
04-10-2018, 23:59
this whole thread has missed the point. Magic left in flimsy coolers is not hiker magic, it’s bear and rodent magic!
you are all so egocentric... everything about me me me.
my personal favorite hiker magics are making trash disappear, being a hiker advocate, maintaining trails, offering rides, allowing others curtesy and space to interact or not, offering my take on what you are doing wrong only when asked.
Leaving trash in the woods is not cool.
Kestral, you have the right attitude, but you would be surprised at the amount of resistance you get when you talk about LNT to others. It doesn't matter to them, as most will never see the trail again.
You must not be able to read your own post from atop that horse.
Also even atop a high and mighty horse, trash can still be seen.
Slow Trek
04-11-2018, 00:14
HYOH. Just walk on by. I don't ingest anything from strangers. People are trying to be nice - often older folks who can't hike much now, or folks busy working who want to contribute.
At the risk of sounding like a smart a**,I ingest food from strangers all the time. I rarely find a restaurant where the workers are my old friends...I must admit I only know a few of the farmers who grow my food..
this whole thread has missed the point. Magic left in flimsy coolers is not hiker magic, it’s bear and rodent magic!
you are all so egocentric... everything about me me me.
my personal favorite hiker magics are making trash disappear, being a hiker advocate, maintaining trails, offering rides, allowing others curtesy and space to interact or not, offering my take on what you are doing wrong only when asked.
Leaving trash in the woods is not cool.
This did come off very preachy, sorry. I was thinking about yogi bear when I wrote this, looking to score a pik-a-nik basket. Humans think it’s all about them, but the bears, rodents and other critters didn’t get the memo, so of course they will eat a free lunch, and scatter the wrappers about. Critters just do what critters do. People need to pack out their trash.
lonehiker
04-11-2018, 09:26
Hikers are as much to blame with the trash at trail magic sites as the person leaving the magic. How many times have you seen hiker's trash left in the container with the trail magic?
Traveler
04-11-2018, 12:18
Hikers are as much to blame with the trash at trail magic sites as the person leaving the magic. How many times have you seen hiker's trash left in the container with the trail magic?
Despite being well intentioned, cheap containers are easily opened by denizens of the wood. Strewn trash within a few yards of a container is usually signature of animal activity, as are the chattering of red squirrels nearby. From my experience, most hikers fetch the prize and keep walking, if they drop litter its usually a distance away from the source.
Hikers are as much to blame with the trash at trail magic sites as the person leaving the magic. How many times have you seen hiker's trash left in the container with the trail magic?On my hike last year, every unattended trail magic container in the first 750 miles was filled with trash. Some were full of the trash generated by the magic, empty soda cans, gatorade bottles, etc. Others had ziplocs full of clif bar wrappers, tuna packets, and empty fuel canisters.
Further north in New York at some of the very welcome water caches, trash was everywhere, even when the only magic available was jugs of water tied to a tree.
This isn't a AT hiker problem, though. It's laziness in general. On the Colorado Trail, the privy at Marshall Pass had ziplocs full of trash stashed inside, and a fuel canister tossed down the hole. Several of the old bunkers at Camp Hale were also filled with discarded canisters, and trash easily recognizable as from hikers.
rocketsocks
04-11-2018, 13:10
Curious when the word Stash started being used for anything other than (bleeeep) I looked it up. It used the words “safely and securely” to define...hmm.
At the risk of sounding like a smart a**,I ingest food from strangers all the time. I rarely find a restaurant where the workers are my old friends...I must admit I only know a few of the farmers who grow my food..
Of course, we aren't talking about a restaurant. We're talking about food and drink often left unattended outside by people we don't know.