High Sierra Topix

This weekend was my first, and probably only, weekend spent in the Sierra this year. No backpacking but day hikes from multiple trail heads. I was completely blown away and disgusted by the amount of trash in the back country. Not just the typical pieces of toilet paper either, but fishing line, food bags, sandals, fishing line, rope and a pot from a failed hanging food bag attempt, beer cans, tuna cans, and did I mention FISHING LINE. I mean dang, I knew it was bad but this weekend really made me upset. Apparently the Jazz festival brings the worst people up to the mountains.


Sorry but I was really shocked by it.

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My buddy decided to climb up and cut down the rope and pot.

Maybe a HST meetup and trail clean up is in order?

How do you really feel?

It's almost a losing battle. If "they" don't care, it won't change.

Thank you and your buddy for an attempt at cleaning up.

FISHING LINE! agree and ugh!

For some reason fishing line is one of my pet peeves -- more than any other form of trash. My wife gets mad at me when I carry out bags and bags of old line and tackle. She also rolls her eyes when I get down on hands and knees looking for that 1" piece of line end I accidentally dropped after cutting off.

I also cut down all rope and wire I find in trees.

On the plus side -- I did find a full six pack of beer sitting in an ice cold stream, no one else around. Since it was a really hot day and I just finished a long hard day of hiking with a heavy pack.... I enjoyed that trash find!

dave54 wrote:For some reason fishing line is one of my pet peeves -- more than any other form of trash.

On the plus side -- I did find a full six pack of beer sitting in an ice cold stream, no one else around. Since it was a really hot day and I just finished a long hard day of hiking with a heavy pack.... I enjoyed that trash find!

Mine too. I can't stand it. It's pure laziness! Put that crap in your pack and take it out. It's insane.

Haha awesome. Hopefully it was someone who had left fishing line in the back country before!

Maybe a HST meetup and trail clean up is in order?

At this location? Yeah, maybe so. I think there was an earlier thread on making a case to show a relationship between regional fishing pressure and trash.

Fishing line is my pet peeve as well. I have shirt pockets full of it between mine and others. I forget it's there until I happen to pick some up and find I forgot to empty the pocket from the last trip.

In 1991, I took my wife to Rae Lake, then Hell For Sure Pass. I had been trying to convince her that she didn't need to carry her little cuticle scissors because I had a knife. Well, we were fishing the lake and came across something flopping around in a bush. It turned out to be a rather large bird tangled in fishing line. I caught the bird and tried to cut the fishing line away when my wife pulled out her scissors and carefully cut it away. It was released unharmed, but would have been a dead bird had we not happened upon it that day.

It's the littlest of stuff that bothers me the most because it is so easy to pack out. Almost more effort to throw it on the ground.

Jimr wrote: Well, we were fishing the lake and came across something flopping around in a bush. It turned out to be a rather large bird tangled in fishing line. I caught the bird and tried to cut the fishing line away when my wife pulled out her scissors and carefully cut it away. It was released unharmed, but would have been a dead bird had we not happened upon it that day.

I had a similar situation on the lower owens a few years back. I heard and saw something crazy moving in the bushes. Turns out it was a hawk stuck in braided fishing line, which is the worst! We were able to cut him loose, put him in a bag, and called the animal rescue just south of Bishop. He was released a week later.

freestone wrote:
At this location? Yeah, maybe so. I think there was an earlier thread on making a case to show a relationship between regional fishing pressure and trash.

I wouldn't doubt it. I do feel as if there is easy access to decent fishing, the trails are more likely to get trashed. Take a look at any of the drive up rivers and lakes in the Eastern Sierra. Most of them are completely littered with cans and power bait!

rlown wrote:How do you really feel?

Haha, let me tell you something!!
- Fire Marshall Bill