A Colorado hiker fed up with trail trash issued a plea to others to leave no trace.
"Please, pack out your trash," they wrote on Reddit. "Or just stay home. I know the people that need to read this aren't, but I'm so sick of seeing trash when hiking. We have such beautiful mountains and hiking trails, and it would be nice to keep it that way."
They shared a photo of a plastic bag and a Ziploc bag seemingly hidden at the base of a small evergreen. The bags were torn open, perhaps by wildlife drawn to the smell.
The planet is already swimming in refuse, with landfills overflowing and the ocean a catch-all for what we discard — whether properly or improperly. If you visit a park or other green space, the No. 1 rule is to leave no trace.
Hikers follow this practice by packing out everything they pack in — isn't it easier to carry empty packaging than something weighed down anyway?
Leaving plastic and other waste on the side of a trail is no way to act in Mother Nature. It can ruin the experience for outdoors lovers and create a danger to wildlife, which can suffer intestinal blockages if they eat these items. If they don't, they can become entangled or otherwise trapped, leading to vulnerability to predators, starvation, and death.
As the garbage breaks down, it also releases microplastics into the land, air, and water, contaminating pristine natural environs that we should take care of as those before us did. It's up to us to show how we want things to be, just as this hiker tried to spread the word about an all-too-common problem.
So, if you see someone toss something on the side of a trail, try to push down any anger and offer a friendly correction. There's always the opportunity to issue a thinly veiled "I can't imagine you'd purposely throw this on the ground" if necessary. And with abandoned litter, it's best to swallow hard, pick it up, and find the nearest trash can.
"I agree it's horrible," one user said. "Then last month we went hiking in Italy and saw the poop bags on the trail there. People everywhere are selfish."
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Someone else wrote: "Agreed! My husband does long hikes near Evergreen and brings an extra trash bag just for the waste he finds. Sadly, it's full by the time he gets done. Every. Single. Time."
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