Trash & human waste on trails

[richard]

https://www.nhpr.org/post/trouble-t...rapples-crowds-trash-and-human-waste#stream/0 My family went up this past weekend to spend the week, but soon left after crazy amount of traffic & cars parked everywhere. They were closing river access where they would often visit due to large amounts of trash being left behind!

 

[Alex_NH]

It is pretty tragic out there in some areas. The suggestion to 'Hike Local' hasn't been taken seriously by many. I understand the desire (and need) to get out during this pandemic, but this increase in visitors is definitely being felt. I'm hopeful that businesses which rely on this season to survive will get through this, but I'd hope people will learn what is expected from them when they visit these areas by practicing LNT.

 

[BISCUT]

I'm so disgusted to read this. I realize the Ranger was being PC and kind when she said this: "The reason for this, Benna says: First time visitors to the forest who just don’t know what’s expected of them." If you don't know not to leave your trash on the ground in the woods or you're poopin on a trail? You are not worthy of using the mountains. Each and every one of us from 10 years old to 70+ spends countless hours on a cell. The 30 seconds to research etiquette on trails is NOT too much to ask. This is not an "educational" issue this is a how you were raised issue and the lack of respect for others.

These are the actions that ruin the experience of most of us who pack out what we need to and causes us all to suffer with limited access as a result of the selfish few who leave a mess behind.

 

[psyculman]

And then there's this:
https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=48830
A diaper, really? Go home!

 

[Mike P.]

Hiking local worked well in the beginning and if you were just out for a day-hike, it's quite nice to be outside. At this point, we are looking at people's vacation. We have more stay-cations due to Covid-19. Few are flying, no one is cruising, American's can not fly to Europe as we are banned from many international destinations. People doing day-trips for their vacation and realizing that being outside is better than inside. (You can't travel to cities and see plays, travel to ballparks as destinations or home ballgames)

Every FB, meet-up group, trail site, whether it's local like NE Trails or All-Trails need to have LNT info on it's opening pages. The days that few went into the Whites or ADK's without owning a WMG or a ADK guidebook are over. Anyplace people get information on a hike needs to have LNT information.

 

[maineguy]

LNT education will not help. People that leave dirty diapers on trails are pigs. The same people that throw trash on highways, leave trash on lakes and boat ramps, empty their ash trays in parking lots, etc etc etc. I have never really understand this, but I have seen worse. I climbed Mt Fuji in the late 70s and the trash on that mountain was unbelievable. I mean, really disgusting. Everywhere else we traveled in the country was very clean, but not Fuji. Our guide said it had been like that since he could remember. This has probably been cleared up by now...one would hope.

 

[DayTrip]

This is not an "educational" issue this is a how you were raised issue and the lack of respect for others.

Exactly! If you're sitting at your neighbor's house having a BBQ and you finish your food do you just fling your plate over your shoulder on his lawn? Of course not. This crap about people not being "aware of LNT" and needing to be educated is kind of nonsense to me. Pretty much anyone walking the planet should know you don't just fling trash everywhere. Are there really people getting that first coaching session with a ranger going like "Hey, no kidding! I didn't realize I couldn't just fling all this crap on the ground here. Thanks for the heads up"....

 

[CaptCaper]

People are basically Pigs and violent really. Can't stand people. Just look at all our cities now. Typhoid,killing kids,trashing cities.
Sure there isn't any trash barrels or places open to take a bath room break or place your rubbish. But it is what it is for now.

 

[Billy]

Franconia Bike Path, about a half mile north of Flume visitors center. Friday August 7th.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Oh, man. This weekend was the worst I have ever seen things up there. When we finally found a place that wasn't overcrowded it was about 930. Just about a quarter mile into the hike we came across no less than 8 tents straddling the trail. One tent on the trail. All tents containing people snoring and completely blacked out. Next to this trail tent city was a banquet table they had carried out. On this table was the remains of the previous night's game of beer pong. Still setup like they were going to start playing again when they woke up around what I can only assume was 2pm. The fire pit next to the table was overflowing with what looked like 100 cans of Bud Light. It was impressive. I wish I had photos.

 

[miehoff]

Oh, man. This weekend was the worst I have ever seen things up there. When we finally found a place that wasn't overcrowded it was about 930. Just about a quarter mile into the hike we came across no less than 8 tents straddling the trail. One tent on the trail. All tents containing people snoring and completely blacked out. Next to this trail tent city was a banquet table they had carried out. On this table was the remains of the previous night's game of beer pong. Still setup like they were going to start playing again when they woke up around what I can only assume was 2pm. The fire pit next to the table was overflowing with what looked like 100 cans of Bud Light. It was impressive. I wish I had photos.

That is a whole lot of random and incriminating information. Those photos would help for sure.

 

[JoshandBaron]

That is a whole lot of random and incriminating information. Those photos would help for sure.

To the frat party's credit, you would have never known what took place there if you came by the next day. Either they got confronted by someone and they made them dust the place or they are more LNT than most hikers I know. A couple FS employees came into the lot while we were getting ready but they couldn't be bothered to get out of their truck. If they had they would have seen another group camped within sight of the trailhead.

 

[peakbagger]

Its been a long time since the FS seems to have enforced the 1/4 mile rule. They were doing it in 1987 at the tail end of the boom but as the usage dropped in the WMNF and the FS consolidated the local ranger stations, and staffed up the mothership in Campton, the boots on the ground seemed to have dropped. The Pemi area was the exception, I remember being followed by a FS employee who was trying to do it stealthily all the way to the former Bondcliff turnoff on the Wilderness trail with a small group in the mid 90s. We were taking a break and he was claiming we were intending to illegally camp at the old logging site which was within the RUA. He also wanted to see our outfitter guide permit.

 

[richard]

Hiking local worked well in the beginning and if you were just out for a day-hike, it's quite nice to be outside. At this point, we are looking at people's vacation. We have more stay-cations due to Covid-19. Few are flying, no one is cruising, American's can not fly to Europe as we are banned from many international destinations. People doing day-trips for their vacation and realizing that being outside is better than inside. (You can't travel to cities and see plays, travel to ballparks as destinations or home ballgames)

Every FB, meet-up group, trail site, whether it's local like NE Trails or All-Trails need to have LNT info on it's opening pages. The days that few went into the Whites or ADK's without owning a WMG or a ADK guidebook are over. Anyplace people get information on a hike needs to have LNT information.

Very well said. When my family was in Lincoln,at the beginning of august, most of the access to the river was taped off because of all the trash (including diapers) being left behind !