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Only Trash Leaves Trash

Part 1 of a Look into Trail Etiquette and How to Be More Mindful in the Outdoors

By Old WahsatchPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Winter hiking in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah 2018

The mountains are calling and I must go! But first...

In a world of hashtags and Snapchat, we find ourselves immersed in glorious content. Coffee, pine trees, Red Wing boots and raw denim, and all of it masked in camera filters and brand names.

The wanderlust is strong. We spend our working hours checking Snapchat and Instagram to see what new travel log has been posted by our favorite outdoor hipster. We try to save our money for the newest $150 flannel, the next big name double hammock, or an upcycled vintage wool blanket we might use once a year.

There’s nothing wrong with any of this. Nothing at all. All of these things are motivators. They help us want to go outside. We ache to find the next big photo angle. Some of us use iPhones, some are lucky enough to have a good DSLR, but we all go out hoping our lighting and scenery works with the latest and greatest from VSCO.

Before you go plug in your GoPro or dig out your selfie stick, I’d like to offer up some reminders.

I understand that not everyone has had the opportunity to learn from a mentor about the finer points of mindfulness while in the wilderness. So, instead of taking to my keyboard to make passive aggressive complaints on Facebook, I’d like to share what knowledge I have in hopes that you will keep exploring, keep taking pictures, and keep spending your nights around campfires with family and friends, but do it mindfully.

I intend to write multiple articles, a series as it were, as to make my points without losing your attention.

Without further ado, my first reminder!

LEAVE NO TRACE!

As a Boy Scout, this was drilled into me from a very young age. We were required, by our leaders, to pick up at least ten pieces of trash each evening before bed, and 20 before leaving the site at the end of our stay. Near the end of my time in Scouts, most of us were so good at not leaving trash around that we took to cleaning up pine cones and pebbles!

This rule includes, but is not limited to, camping, hiking, trail running, climbing, hammocking, partying, skiing, snowshoeing, yurting, van-life-ing, and so on.

Leave your space better than you found it. If you found trash when you got there you were probably annoyed, right? Remember that feeling when it’s time for YOU to clean up and leave.

I’m typically not supportive of doing things for selfish reasons, but this is a complete exception. Absolutely do this for nobody but you. YOU want a nice clean campsite so you feel at home. YOU want a clean trail so you can focus on the sounds and smells of nature rather than cigarette butts and Clif bar rappers.

Most of our local canyons have picnic sites. They have fire pits and picnic tables, some even have outhouses. If you were to go there, you might notice that there are absolutely no garbage cans. Zero. None. The forest service expects YOU to take your trash back out with you. And, with minor exceptions, our local sites are pretty clean!

I’m not asking you to take a garbage bag with you to clean up other peoples’ messes (but it’d be cooler if you did), just be more mindful of your actions so as to leave nature wild and clean.

A common statement I’ve always enjoyed is “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” And now we’ve come full circle!

Go grab your camera grab some good hiking boots and a water bottle. Stop for some coffee, or better yet, take an aeropress and brew your own! Just remember to clean up after yourself.

For further motivation on how to be more mindful while still enjoying our great outdoors, check out Let’s Keep It Wild on Instagram. They’re a small company out of Arizona trying to keep people interested in the outdoors. They fund outdoor cleanup activities and have recorded over 31 thousand pounds of trash removed!

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About the Creator

Old Wahsatch

Outdoorsman, barber, husband, father, cynic, optimist, idealist, cyclist.

My name is Andy. I live in Utah. I write under the name Old Wahsatch, taken from the name of a ghost town near Evanston, Wyoming.

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