the little things that help

[Gaiter]

okay based on the 'this place is a mess' thread, i wanted to start a thread on the little ways you can help the trail as you hike.
what have you done, what have you seen others do, even if its the smallest thing, someone may have not thought about doing that to help out.
maintainers, especially please chime in as well, let us know the little things that we can do to help you.

from how you deal w/ trash, to clearing small tree limbs after storms. what things do you do to help the trail.

[Gaiter]

oh if there is already a thread like this someone let me know, but i don't recall one.

[EWS]

Pick up the first plastic bag you find (or take one) and fill it up other trash as you walk.

[hopefulhiker]

One time in the Smokeys I met a trail maintainer who was doing some blow down work with a chainsaw. I helped him saw up the tree and move the blowdown off the trail. I also have packed out small amounts of trash from shelters and off the trail that I found...

[Lyle]

- If you kick a branch on the trail, even a small one, move it off the trail (down hill side). This will keep someone else from tripping on it or sticking it in their shin.

- Remove trash, your's and other's

- many smaller blow-downs can easily be pulled off the trail with a couple of people, again try to get it to the down-hill side

- walk through the mud puddles instead of around them

- as everyone already knows, do not cut switch-backs, they are usually there for a reason, no one builds them for fun - they are alot of work!

- if a blaze is hidden by an overgrown branch or shrub, a bit of trimming may be in order. Proper trimming would be at the ground level or at the trunk for a branch. Do not leave stubby, cut off branches or small stumps, these look terrible and are safety hazards. Do not go overboard on trimming unless it is your job.

- if you know how, gently clean a water bar or other water diversion structure that is blocked. Leave major clean-out to those whose job it is to maintain.

- OFFER TO HELP WHEN YOU RUN ACROSS A WORK CREW - they will almost always be happy to have the help and it can be a lot of fun. Every long distance hiker should make a point of doing this on every trip, as often as practical. I gaurantee it will be appreciated.

As far as I'm concerned, if you aren't doing at least this much in the way of trail maintenance, then you have absolutely NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN about the condition of a trail.

[River Runner]

So far, just small stuff for me -

I pack out as much trash as I can on the last day of a trip.

I normally try to toss small branches that have fallen on the trail to the side, using my trekking poles.

I've removed silty debris from springs, so they'd be clearer for the next person.

[Gaiter]

i found that the trashest days on the trail are sun afternoon and mon, so i will bring up LNT in conversation w/ hikers who don't seem to have much experience. i always carry a small ziplock for little trash that i can reach in the toplid of my pack

carry a trash bag, if its too much for you to carry out, at least you can gather it, notify the local maintainers and save a maintainers time

some leave unopened food at shelters, thinking they are being 'helpful' and some other human else will come along and eat it, WRONG, but it is a great way to feed mice, pack out food you find in shelters

i do avoid some trash, like broken beer bottles, and anything else that appears dangerous, but let maintainers know about these, also i don't pick up anything that looks the slightest bit like or is toilet paper, dig a cat hole and kick it in w/ a twig, at least no one else has to look at it.

[Lone Wolf]

i'll only pick up a stray wrapper or whatever on the actual trail. i never pack out anything from a shelter area

[jesse]

I will clean out a fire ring. Btw, for those who are unaware, aluminum foil does not burn.

[jhick]

I always seem to pickup more trash from others than I make myself. Broken bottles are a pain though... gotta get something tough for those.

[Thoughtful Owl]

This time of year when I spend more time doing day trips or simple overnighters, I pick up and pack out trash left by others. I take a pair of those mechanix gloves (sold a Lowe's and other places) and an old stuff sac to pick up alum. foil and other metals left in fire pits, broken glass etc. The old stuff sac holds the glass etc. without puncturing through.

[Seeker]

nothing unusual... just pick up what i find laying there if it's trash, move small branches/limbs as i'm able too, and scoot small rocks off to the side of the trail. (locally, my biggest problem is some folks who like to smoke and/or drink beer while horseback riding, and leave the butts/cans for me.)

(to add to another thread--you know you're an ultralighter if: you leave it there for pick up on the way out, so you don't have to carry it farther than necessary.)

[Pony]

Wouldn't it be cool if people did this in everyday life? Most people would rather step over the candy bar wrapper on the sidewalk rather than pick it up.

[Gaiter]

wouldn't it be cool if we didn't have to do this in the first place, everyone picked up their own trash

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I pick up trash on trails and sometimes at shelters. I will move small blowdowns. I have done some emergency repairs to water bars and to the wood and stone walls that often stablize the area above and below a trail.

[Summit]

Gather a nice stack of firewood for the next camper at your campsite.

[STEVEM]

I always flip small branches off the trail with my hiking poles. Sometimes I will take along a plastic shopping bag and pick-up some trash.

I once found a set of fibreglass tent poles probably long enough for a 12' x 12' dome tent. I cut the shock cord and use the sections to stake pepper plants.

Another time I found a massive wad of balloons and strings. when I collected the mess I found that each balloon had a postcard attached with the name of a kid and a return address of a school in Newark, DE. I think the release must have gone bad since the balloons were all tied together.
Anyway, I sent all the cards back in one envelope with a letter describing where they were found (High Point, NJ). I'm sure that was discouraging. The kids Probably were expecting notes from Iceland or Norway, not New Jersey.

Whenever I go fishing, and the fish aren't biting-(always). I end up walking around picking up the mess left by other fishermen. Try that sometime, you'll be amazed at how much nylon line and how many lead sinkers and hooks you'll find. Fishermen are real slobs.

[LIhikers]

My wife and I regularly hike in NY's Harriman State Park. I've added a mesh pocket to the outside of my day pack so I have a place to put the trash I pick up.

[ki0eh]

Another time I found a massive wad of balloons and strings. when I collected the mess I found that each balloon had a postcard attached with the name of a kid and a return address of a school in Newark, DE. I think the release must have gone bad since the balloons were all tied together.
Anyway, I sent all the cards back in one envelope with a letter describing where they were found (High Point, NJ). I'm sure that was discouraging. The kids Probably were expecting notes from Iceland or Norway, not New Jersey.

You might have still made the day for some - in my experience there are a lot of folks whose own personal geographic frame of reference is mostly their own town, maybe the county, or out to the next larger city. I was only on an airplane once before age 28...

[whitefoot_hp]

Wouldn't it be cool if people did this in everyday life? Most people would rather step over the candy bar wrapper on the sidewalk rather than pick it up.

sidewalks arent worth cleaning up. the natural environment is. the sidewalk itself is pollution.