A hiker is asking people to respect the natural places they visit after discovering an unfortunate scene at a local state park.
Instagram user James, The Ethnic Explorer (@the_ethnic_explorer) shared a video showing him cleaning up trash from an illegal campsite fire right on the shore of a lake.
"Please don't do this, people," he implored, noting that he had cleaned up all sorts of trash, including cigarette butts, from the abandoned fire, preventing it from ending up in the lake.
In this caption, he explained further, "This is why you do not put trash in your campfire. With rain for the next week all that garbage would have ended up in the lake. LEAVE NO TRACE and take care of our public lands."
It's important to follow established campsite guidelines and use designated areas to protect the environment around you.
As the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services explained, "Spontaneous camping spots by the water can cause increased erosion and pollutants from bare soil, among other damages."
As James pointed out, the plastic and other garbage from the campsite could have gone directly into the lake, where it would release pollutants and be ingested by wildlife, causing health issues all along the food chain.
The United States National Park Service recommends the "Leave No Trace Seven Principles" to help guide people in protecting the land by making sure they take any and all trash with them after camping, follow safety guidelines for camping, especially managing fires, and preserve not only the beauty but the health and safety of the natural world while encouraging connection to it.
Connecting to nature means more than just enjoying it; it also means respecting and caring for it. In doing so, empathy and understanding of the climate grows, leading to awareness of how everyone and everything impacts it.
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People in the comments thanked James for his efforts, while others called out people who don't care for the land.
"Your heart is amazing James!!" said a commenter.
"My BIGGEST pet peeve!!" another wrote.
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