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  1. #1
    Registered User
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    12-21-2010
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    Default Trail Magic vs Plastic

    Hey folks,

    I've been planning to leave some trail magic in the form of a cooler near a trail crossing with some bottles of water and maybe some other goodies. However, I started pondering if I wanted to encourage a bunch of plastic bottles that might never get recycled or worse, get left around by folks who don't care to clean up after themselves.

    NOT looking for debate over legitimacy of recycling, or a deep dive into LNT ethics etc etc please. JUST curious if, from your all's experiences, you've found that trail magic like this leads to more trash on the trail or not?

    Cheers to you all in this beautiful Spring hiking weather
    Dan P.

  2. #2

    Default

    I have found it best to hand drinks and whatnot to people. Then offer to take their refuse. I love meeting people so I don’t mind sitting around and waiting for some customers (that’s why I was out there in the first place). I feel like leaving something unattended is not a good idea for a variety of reasons, but I won’t extrapolate per your request.

  3. #3

    Default

    Yes, in my experience unattended trail magic leads to trash. The problem is if you leave a place to deposit the bottles or cans, that location will become a place for hikers to dump other trash and then the animals will come and tear through it spreading it. Even if you do not leave a trash receptacle, folks will still use it for depositing trash. Many folks leave cheap coolers and they can chewed up and usually abandoned.

    I have seen this in many locations, it actually quite rare to see unattended coolers that do not have that problem.

    On the other hand, hanging out at a trail intersection and interacting with hikers seems to work pretty well as long as they have the right to walk on by. If you offer to take their trash that is usually appreciated.

  4. #4
    Garlic
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    Default

    Thank you for considering this aspect. I agree with the above.

  5. #5

    Default

    I do the Orienteering sport. We place water in construction buckets out on the courses for the runners. We tie a plastic trash bag onto the handle. Even with that, wind happens and some of the paper cups are blown about. We pick the water up at the day's end and still pick up blown trash. It just happens. We leave the woods cleaner than when we started.
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

  6. #6
    Registered User somers515's Avatar
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    Default

    Unattended trail magic generally does lead to more trash to answer your direct question. If you do that perhaps going back and picking up any trash left behind with those trash grabbers (it almost makes it fun). You could as rhjanes says "leave the woods cleaner" than you found it and then that would be some real extra nice trail magic! It's sad how often at a road crossing or a trail parking area there can be so much trash about. I usually pick up trash I see in the woods on my last day out during a backpacking trip but at the road crossing there is usually too much for my little trash bag. If its recyclable then I separate it out when I get home. Come to think of it, next time I will put my trash grabber and a larger trash bag in my vehicle so I can clean up the parking lot before I head home. Thank you to all those that do trail magic and even more so to those who make sure the area is clean after!
    AT Flip Flop (HF to ME, HF to GA) Thru Hike 2023; LT End-to-Ender 2017; NH 48/48 2015-2021; 21 of 159usForests.com

  7. #7
    Registered User
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    Default

    unattended feeds are a no-no. hikers don't need to be given food and drink at every dang road crossin'

  8. #8

    Default

    I can say that I felt huge gratitude to whoever left some water at the bottom of the mountain outside of Palmerton. We were out of water,it was 101 degrees in the limited shade,there was a cooler with two bottles of water. We had no problem packing the empty bottles out. Very glad they were there. Are there hikers who would throw the bottles on the ground? Sure. There are hikers who will poop on the trail. You cannot fix all human behavior. But on that day,some trail magic was certainly appreciated.

  9. #9
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    Default

    I think gallons of water to refill where water sources are limited like through sections of PA are definitely not frowned upon and probably not what most people are referring to when they say leaving trail magic will create trash. I would agree that leaving anything but water where it's needed would probably lead to trail trash and also agree that it's probably not necessary and that hikers don't need it at every road crossing.
    NoDoz
    nobo 2018 March 10th - October 19th
    -
    I'm just one too many mornings and 1,000 miles behind

  10. #10
    Registered User
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    Default

    Thanks a bunch for the inputs everyone! I'll reconsider my approach. Either gallons to use to refill or hang out and hand stuff out myself. Cheers y'all!

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