Why the increase in litter?

[icemanat95]

There are a lot of blank shell casings, M60 belt links, etc. laying around the Hawk Mountain area. I never saw MRE wrappers or any such thing there when I hiked through, but things may have changed.

OPFOR (Opposing Forces) may be leaving sign intentionally for Ranger trainees to follow as well.

Empty shell casings can be a PITA to police up and carry. They are quite heavy and make a LOT of noise.

Tactically, once you have made contact and gotten into a firefight, you are no longer covert. Whether you leave your brass and such behind or not isn't going to make much difference. If you were fighting defensively, trying to break contact, you aren't going to waste time picking up your brass, its stays where it lays.

So depending upon the nature of the training exercise, it may be likely that expended brass, links, etc. would be left behind. Also a night engagement is going to make it impossible to do anything like a complete job of picking up, and a LOT of Ranger exercises take place at night.

[CaptChaos]

That "Keep America Beautiful" campaign made a lasting impact on me when I was a kid. I still have vivid memories of that public service announcement.

My feelings are the same. I had the chance to talk with the Indian Cheif, and for the life of me I can't remember his name, on a flight from Tampa, FL to Irvine, CA. As I was getting off the plane he was still sitting in first class and I stopped to introduce myself and thank him for his campaign and I told him how much it had impacted me and how I considered my surroundings now.

We talked about 10 in before the flight crew told us we had to go. The Chief was very old that I recall and he was moved out of the plane in a wheelchair. I neve got the chance to see him again and I believe that he died a short time after that meeting.

It has to be one of the most important ad campaigns that I can remember because I don't pay much attention to tv ads and with the advent of the remote, I hit the mute button whenever they come on so it must have had an impact on me for some reason.

John

[LuTotten]

An apple core?

He is 9, I'll be taking him on his first overnight hike this summer....If a kid asks for fruit instead of junk food you'll lug it around for a day hike.

[Programbo]

Then it's probably caused by younger hikers that were brought up poorly. Slobs. No manners. Selfish. Apathetic.

I agree with the above posters thoughts...I came in way late on this thread but I think the main reason there would be an increase in litter is the way society has become and the mentality/reasoning of those on the trail now as opposed to 30 years ago...True you usually found a little can/trash pile near a lot of the shelters back in the 60`s/70`s but that`s what it was an organized centrally located pile of cans and other non-burnable trash..It wasn`t just scattered about or along the trail itself except in areas that were close to roads and accessible to random dayhikers..Families from nearby state parks, etc

[dreamhiker]

If all the shelters where relocated further from trail heads and roads I think it would help a great deal. If shelters should be there at all. Im not a big fan of the shelter system at all and think they should all be taken out.

[Buckles]

That's how I tell litterers. If they drive a dirty and cluttered car I know the stuff isn't going onto the highway. An uncluttered car should be accepted by the courts as prima facie evidence that the occupants litter.

Weary

That's a big load of crap! If it was meant in humor, your post would have benefitted from the addition of some emoticons. Otherwise, it's profoundly ridiculous. Any other stereotypes you'd like to share with us?

[Ridge]

I know a trail maintenance guy who picks up litter at camps, etc, does a darn good job. But, he'll toss his cigarette butt in the woods while he's doing it. The good thing is he's taking out more than he's leaving.

[Buckles]

Well, since no one knows for sure why litter is suddenly increasing on hiking trails, perhaps we should use a bit of reasoning.

I guess all of us who either drive or walk can agree that littering is a common phenomenon in this country. Walkers see the litter. All drivers have witnessed stuff flying from cars ahead of them.

For quite a few years now the primary message against litter has been the slogans "Carry In, Carry Out" and "Leave No Trace" aimed at the walking community.

"Leave no Trace" strikes me as less effective than the older "Carry In, Carry Out." But we all have heard the messages and most of us walkers abide by them.

Now inject a very popular trail book -- a book that has sold more copies than all previous such books combined -- but also a book that makes light of litter, that treats litter a one of the fun things that happen on trails.

"A Walk in the Woods" certainly inspired previously non walkers to suddenly get out in the mountains and hills. Scores of new hikers have told White Blaze that it was Bryson that inspired them to attempt a long distance hike.

Therefore it seems plausible at least that some of those newcomers to the trails did so with little or no knowledge of "Leave No Trace," but fond memories of Brysons very funny treatment of litter.

The fact remains that litter increased after "A Walk in the Woods" becaame the all time hiking best seller. I have postulated one possible explanation. What is your theory JoeHiker?

From years of working on trails and campsites I can attest that litter breeds litter. If I can't Carry Out trash all the trash left by hikers at a campsite, I know from experience that when I come back others will have added to the pile. Most hikers seem to have no qualms about adding their tiny bits of waste when there is already a lot of trash at a shelter. Unless I can remove all the litter, I know that others will add to the pile almost without thinking.

A clean trail tends to stay clean for awhile at least. A dirty trail seems to always get dirtier.

Weary

This is not reasoning, just more of your stereotypes and generalizations. It would be too easy to stereotype your posts by saying they always include stereotypes and generalizations.

"All drivers have witnessed stuff flying from cars ahead of them." I've never seen it happen. Not once. I've lived in multiple States and countries. I travel throughout this country every week. I've never witnessed persons in front of me throwing stuff out the window. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but we all don't enjoy witnessing it with regularity like you do. You must always be there when it happens! I assume you were also personally there when you came to the earlier conclusion that it's always the newbie hikers that litter (a different post of yours).

"Scores of new hikers have told White Blaze that it was Bryson that inspired them to attempt a long distance hike." That's twenty times two, right? I don't have the exact figures, but Bryon's probably sold a couple hundred thousand books, worldwide. Very doubtful it was even near a million copies. And from that you extrapolate the new litter brigade. Must be new math.

"...I can attest that litter breeds litter. If I can't Carry Out trash all the trash left by hikers at a campsite, I know from experience that when I come back others will have added to the pile." I can only speak to the group of hikers I've hiked with....and only on the days I've hiked with them (because I wouldn't want to stereotype their behavior as always good). If we see litter, we carry it out. If it's too much to carry out, we don't just add more to the pile.

I've grown "weary" of these posts.

[Ridge]

As mentioned "Litter breeds Litter". What we need are more hikers who actually take out more than they bring in. But the key here is to try and make sure someone else on the trail or at a shelter sees you pick it up. You don't have to say a word, even pick up there trash in front of them, just don't say a word to them. I saw how effective this was when hiking with several buddies of mine years ago. One started out tossing wrappers, etc, one picked it up as he walked behind him. That evening with a fire built he pulled the small amount or identifiable wrappers out and tossed them in the fire, making sure the one that littered saw him. A conversation about UFO's or something was happening at the same time, but nothing was ever said about the trash. Next day, I watched, the guy actually stuck his wrappers in his pocket and not toss on the ground. The next time I ran across this guy picking up the trash I told him his tricked worked. He said it wasn't a trick, it was the way I was brought up and I do it out of habit, I wasn't even sure who actually threw the stuff down. This was one of the most effective anti-litter campaigns that actually wasn't a campaign but was just a "habit".

[SGT Rock]

Again, I have to agree that "litter breeds litter" based on my totally non-scientific observation. There are those of us that fight that by packing it out. To those that do - thanks!

[weary]

That's a big load of crap! If it was meant in humor, your post would have benefitted from the addition of some emoticons. Otherwise, it's profoundly ridiculous. Any other stereotypes you'd like to share with us?

Actually it was a test to see if buckles could recognize irony. or something like that. Somehow, humans for several millennia were able to recognize humor without the help of emoticons.

As we ponder the increasing litter on our trails, let's ponder also the growing need for crutches -- yea, even hole-poking trekking poles, emoticons, and the combination of the two.

Weart

[SGT Rock]

But lets keep spell checks righ Weart

[nhalbrook]

My feelings are the same. I had the chance to talk with the Indian Cheif, and for the life of me I can't remember his name, on a flight from Tampa, FL to Irvine, CA. As I was getting off the plane he was still sitting in first class and I stopped to introduce myself and thank him for his campaign and I told him how much it had impacted me and how I considered my surroundings now. ....

John

His name was Iron Eyes Cody and I remember him whenever littering comes to mind, too. A powerful ad campaign that should run forever.

[Buckles]

His name was Iron Eyes Cody and I remember him whenever littering comes to mind, too. A powerful ad campaign that should run forever.

Yes, a strong media campaign. However, if you're not aware, he was not a Native American. He was born in Kaplan, Louisiana, the child of Sicilian immigrants. He denied his true heritage, even after exposed. The consummate actor, or maybe just a bit disturbed.

Here's a link to his bio. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Eyes_Cody

[weary]

But lets keep spell checks righ Weart

watever, you say!!!!

[Tinker]

I don't know if young hikers are much different from any other young person I know in the work-a-day world, but this much I can tell you: back when I was a young person in the '60s and '70s, when an older person suggested that you do something, such as pick up after yourself, you usually replied "Uh, sorry, ok" or something dumb like that, and then picked up your stuff. These days, when an older person (such as I am today) asks a young person to do anything for someone else or for a higher ethical reason, you generally (not always, but much more than in the last generation) get a blank stare or a challenging look as if to say "No one can tell me what to do". Is it just me, or does anyone else my age see this as a problem. We had the "Peace and Love" generation. What's the mantra of the current crop of young adults? Underneath, I've found many to be good people, but there's a hard veneer on the outside which did not seem to be the norm in days past. It almost seems as if doing something "Just a little bad", like purposely dropping trash on a stretch of trail so someone else will have to acknowledge your passage by picking it up is fun, or cool, or makes you somehow superior. Is it good to be bad, cool not to care? What's up?

Btw: Some folks my age are as bad, but they're usually of the "Booze and Butts" crowd, though being too wasted to be responsible is a poor excuse, too.

[psberry]

Reply to Tinker:
I teach young adults (as well as non-traditional adults) at a community college in Michigan. I would agree with you Tinker about their "Gimme" sort of attitude at times. Not all of course exhibit this peculiar behavior, but this current generation is the Millenium Generation and they grew up receiving awards and plagues for doing nothing...but still expect it. Their parents are of the "Helicopter" variety often and hover around their children essentially never cutting the umbilical cord, if that makes any sense. I find a plethora of debris on the trails when I first start out...usually the first couple of miles. (They eat their candy, smoke their cigarettes and naturally discard them wherever they please.) I have a hiking staff that has a super sharp metal end and if it is just a piece of paper or cigarette butt, I push it into the ground with my staff such that it can't be seen. I figure it will biodegrade faster "in" the ground than on top. If I stooped to pick up the debris everytime I saw some, I would never get anywhere, not to say anything about carrying it! Having said all this, I also think that we have some mighty nice young people who have a "yesteryear" attitude still. Their parents I suspect taught them outdoor ethics early on so that as young adults they have acquired the sense and propriety of taking care of Mother Earth. I would like to think that my two sons are in that category and I am quite sure they are, since we used to have an event upon packing up to leave a campsite with, "Look around now, pick up every piece of paper you see no matter how small!" Usually they obliged like it was a game or something. But there was always discussion about "why" we do this and what the value was! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Egads]

With all the emphasis on LNT, I've yet to see any improvement stopping the litter

[RockDoc]

We hiked Springer to Hot Springs in April, and saw some shocking litter.

The worst was all the high-tech gear that fell off folk's packs and trekking sticks mostly in the first two days; rubber pole ends, tent poles, some candy wrappers too. Every time I saw obvious backpacker's rubbish I yelled "KATZ"!

The worst was the day after Easter north of Burningtown Gap; no less than 20 sets of brightly colored plastic Easter egg shells were dropped right on the AT, or tossed to the side. The eggs, packaged in zip lock bags with candy, were apparently made available as trail magic near Winding Stair Gap. Well who should we pass right ahead of all the garbage? A Boy Scout troop of about 30 young scouts. I asked the troop leader about the easter egg shell garbage and he said "we woodint do dat". Oh, sure, well then thru-hikers did it (I doubt it). Like someone else said, young idiots don't care.

[RockDoc]

Regarding Maine being low-litter, I agree that the trail was pretty good.
But take a canoe around some of the lakes, like East Chairback Lake, and get out and look for a place to camp and you will be shocked at all all the beer cans and bottles everywhere that it is possible to land your canoe.