Colorful fall leaves certainly deserve to be admired. But when hordes of tourists flood hiking trails to catch a glimpse of the vibrant autumn hues, they can bring more than just an appreciation of nature.
Eager visitors, as it turns out, often bring — and leave behind — a whole lot of garbage.
A massive crowd of tourists visited New Hampshire's White Mountain to admire the region's brightly colored fall foliage. But the influx of visitors reportedly didn't respect the land as locals would have hoped, according to a local news station WMUR.
"As soon as I saw the pictures [of the crowds], I said, 'Oh, there's going to be a big mess tomorrow,'" Siobhan Smith told WMUR. "I don't think I've ever seen crowds that big. It was definitely fully packed on the trail."
Smith was right about the inevitable mess — and decided to do something about it. Smith and her friend Noah took it upon themselves to clean up after the unruly tourists, picking up a good deal of discarded trash along the frequented trail. The intrepid duo filled two trash bags with discarded items, including plastic water bottles, dirty diapers, and left-behind clothing.
"We just realized that no one wants to go up there when there's trash everywhere," Smith said.
Access to nature and hiking trails is a privilege — especially considering how much of our natural environment has already been destroyed by development and pollution. When interacting with natural locations, we should strive to leave the environment as good as we found it — or better.
A key part of this responsibility is managing our waste. Ideally, visitors to beaches worldwide would prioritize disposing of their own garbage properly. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.
Leave No Trace advises nature visitors to "pack it in, pack it out." Simply put, if you bring it on the trail, take it with you when you leave. It's this concept of stewardship and responsibility that drove Smith to action. And she hopes her impromptu clean-up inspires others to adopt similar values.
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Should tourists be responsible for cleaning up their own trash? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 👏 Smith told WMUR: "Having pride in our community and seeing how beautiful it can be without garbage is truly important."
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