Litter

[sbhikes]

Is litter getting worse? Are thru-hikers littering more than they used to?

I recently have done three section hikes on the PCT and I was amazed at the litter. I encountered toilet paper (and could smell the dooky) on the trail, bits of electrical wire left like some kind of breadcrumb trail, wrappers sometimes obviously freshly dropped. I've seen used maps and pages from guide books left as trash, plastic bags, foam rubber, odds and ends. You name it. This isn't near road crossings but out in the sections of the trail far from roads and often in places that are too ugly or boring for ordinary weekend hikers to be.

I've also heard reports of trail angels finding big piles of trash that they've cleaned up at places where hikers gather. It's obviously hiker trash because of the maps and guide book pages.

I don't remember it being this bad even a few years ago. Are people littering more than they used to? Does anyone have any tried-and-true suggestions for educating hikers about littering? They obviously don't read laments on the internet so it seems some kind of in-person or on-trail intervention is needed.

[DAJA]

I'll tell you what doesn't work, is picking up the garbage and hauling ass to catch the person you saw drop the trash and give it too them.. Either from embarrassment or shame, the person nearly took my head off...

Next time i'll just pack it out myself...

[JaxHiker]

There was a lot of trash on the AT last week. People toss it in the fire areas and expect it to magically disappear. I also saw a good bit on the trail itself.

[Jonnycat]

Backpacking on long trails used to be an activity reserved to backpackers. By the time they evolved to that point, they had already done enough camping and backcountry exploration to have their dooky together enough to respect the land and enjoy a self reliant sense of independance.

Now you have people throwing a money making, corporate sponsored party at the trailhead, trail devils enabling co-dependant backpackers with food and water, and a largely young group of kids who are hiking because it is the socially cool thing to do.

Given the entitlement culture that currently forms the core of the hiking community, it is no wonder that the blessings of litter, poor sanitation practices, and general drunkenness and disrespect has crept into trail life.

I'll get off my soapbox now and let the enablers douse me in their inevitable flames.

[lush242000]

I don't think the increase in litter would be from thru hikers. It is usually the casual, day hiker, group, kids group that cause the problem.

[Beachcomber]

Death penalty for littering. Ideally meted out by rogue bears.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Death penalty for littering. Ideally meted out by rogue bears.

Unfortunatly as I understand it, every time the death penalty is handed out due to litter, it is the bears that receive the sentence..

[Jim Adams]

Almost all of the litter that I saw on the PCT was from illegals using the trail after crossing the border. I saw cloths, tons of water bottles, foam mattresses, blankets, empty HEAVY food containers, wrappers from things like microwave sandwiches, etc....alot of things that hikers just don't carry.

geek

[Slo-go'en]

Litter always has been and always will be a problem.

[sbhikes]

The illegal aliens aren't hiking the PCT up near Big Bear or San Jacinto. They also aren't using Halfmile's maps or Yogi's guide. This is definitely thru-hiker trash.

I'm probably going to bring some avocados to the hiker feed on Walker Pass next weekend. I'll bring it up to the other non-hikers at the event. Maybe somebody the hikers respect will be there and be willing to give them a little talking to.

[soulrebel]

I've seen several instances where hikers used the firepit as a trashcan. This year I've seen a bit more of it. A few hikers threw a bunch of empty candy wrappers in the firepit as we were leaving in the morning. I didn't say anything about it but, I picked it all up and put it in a trashbag while they waited and watched in the rain. Then we hiked on and continued the day...

[imscotty]

Wait till the next generation of littering scum hits the trails...

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/O...photo-10133108

Shameful, disgusting!

[DLP]

I moved a pile of human poo sitting next to poopy wet wipes this last weekend.
It was next to a creek. I moved the poo to an outhouse and packed out the wet wipes.

Wasn't on the PCT... was at Henry Coe. And prior to the poop encounter, was one of the least litter-y places I've hiked.

[imscotty]

I moved a pile of human poo sitting next to poopy wet wipes this last weekend.
It was next to a creek. I moved the poo to an outhouse and packed out the wet wipes.

Wasn't on the PCT... was at Henry Coe. And prior to the poop encounter, was one of the least litter-y places I've hiked.

Some people are animals.

[saltysack]

I

When I see someone litter i have no problem saying or doing something!!....@@@king pisses me off...just today caught this mallard with a McDonald's necklace.....punks need a good arse beating!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Christoph]

Just sectioned from the Falls to Helen about a month ago and the trail was actually very clean. Fire pits were another story but nothing out of the ordinary. Picked up a few rogue wrappers but nothing major.

[saltysack]

Just sectioned from the Falls to Helen about a month ago and the trail was actually very clean. Fire pits were another story but nothing out of the ordinary. Picked up a few rogue wrappers but nothing major.

Glad someone else pics up rouge wrappers.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xycon]

I dont think it's necessarily the fact that thru hikers are littering more, I think it has more to do with the fact that thru hiking has become more popular in main stream media. Therefore there are more attempting thru hikers, and because of that more hikers = more opportunities for random littering.

[imscotty]

I have noticed that litter seems to attract more litter. I suppose the attitude is, 'if no one else cares, then why should I?' So I think the increase tends to be exponential and not linear the more Yahoos we have on the trail.

[MuddyWaters]

More dumbass people =more litter

Most people are dumbasses.

This is why we need so many laws