A hiker came across an unfortunate discovery of a natural landmark covered in spray-painted graffiti, frustrating them and other nature lovers.
They shared the upsetting photo in the r/hiking subreddit, explaining that they were visiting Bald Rock Heritage Preserve near Cleveland, South Carolina.
The first image shows the rocky ledge covered in a rainbow of spray-painted lettering and images, tagged by graffiti artists who apparently were fond of the area. Their second photo shows a clear sign prohibiting the expected things like littering, alcohol, and fireworks, with graffiti included at the top of the list.
Redditors in the comments were appalled at the image.
"Why deface something as nice as this?" one person wondered.
"It infuriates me," wrote another. "The forest service does not have the resources to monitor all these locations. And whoever does this is hiking up there with the specific intent of defacing the park."
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The tourist information for Bald Rock acknowledges that the graffiti is an unfortunate element of the location now, though they try to prevent it.
"Unfortunately, the rock has been covered in graffiti since the 1970's. Since SCDNR [S.C. Department of Natural Resources] purchased the property in 2001, graffiti has been illegal," the Visit Greenville website states.
It also noted that graffiti can have a negative impact on the environment, writing, "It is also incompatible with the state's mandate to protect and preserve the headwater streams, rare and endangered plants and animals, and other natural resources. SCDNR is now working with Friends of Bald Rock volunteers to clean up the litter and remove graffiti."
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As many of the commenters on the hiker's post noted, marking the spot with spray paint also detracts from the overall enjoyment of the natural landscape, serving as an unpleasant reminder of negative human activity. Studies have shown that connecting with nature has a positive impact on mental health, especially "high quality" spaces with plenty of green space and diversity, per the Mental Health Foundation.
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Some people, like a researcher at Indiana University Bloomington, have theorized that being disconnected from nature exacerbates the issues leading to climate chaos because people stop caring about the world around them.
As one person lamented in the comments, "People are the reason we can't have nice things."
However, supporting nature and reporting vandals are small steps individuals can take to preserve the earth for present and future inhabitants.
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