High Sierra Topix

iHartMK wrote:It's all of those LA & Orange County people. Last weekend I came across 4 tents about 3 feet from waters edge while walking around Jennie Lake. When I asked them where they were from, they said the Los Angeles area... of course. Is there no mountains down south?? Then Sunday after they left I walked through their camp, fire was still smoking and their trash was still there. SMH

the funny thing about people from la and orange county is 99.9% of them are from somewhere else. Stupidity knows no geography.

as far as the OP, preaching to the choir, and why i like off trail/less visited areas and avoid high traffic places like whitney like the plague.

sometimes we all are part of the problem though, even if we don't intend to be. (More on that later)

Store-bought backpackers. You can't buy class, common sense, and ethics on the internet or at REI

I'm a Scoutmaster here in L.A. and we find things that's ours. I hooped and hollered that I found two empty wine bottles and now they were all mine! The Scouts were kind of dumbfounded, (that I found trash) but, now it's okay to pick something up to keep the place clean. Wait till I find a wag bag, that will be very funny in front of the Scouts. Thank God for Purrell.

My Scouts also found some nice things, last year a Scout found a nice camera and we found the owner on the trail, my son found a watch and found the owner on the trail. Sunglasses that were dropped from hikers that past us, were given back, with double time hiking up-hill, that always kicks my butt. But, all the things found were retuned to the owners, they all said "Thank You" witch it made it worth it.

I try to teach my Scouts, don't ruin "MY HOME" or else, you may not go backpacking with me again. Wherever we camp, it has to have that natural look where no one has been there before we leave. (I'm sorry if you have to move the pine needles or extra little rocks that we sprinkle around at a campsite) So, if anyone here drops some trash, it's all MINE! (Except for the good stuff. I'll do my best to return it)

Also, if I'm camping by you, I'm sorry if we are noisy. My Scouts are out by 9:00pm. I have awesome Boy Scouts!!!

bluefintu

Thanks for taking the time to be a leader and teaching the right way to backpack.

Mike

It is only on the popular trails that you have to plug your nose. Although I'm not happy about the conditions you ran into, I am happy that the bulk of the traffic stays in certain popular areas in the Sierra because that leaves the bulk of the backcountry fairly pristine.

I wish this were true. When I am on the JMT or other high traffic trails, I am not terribly surprised when I see signs of human impact---trash, unburied human waste, soap bubbles in the water, somebody's uneaten Ramen noodles at the lake edge, etc. What I find most heartbreaking though is when I find these same signs of human impact far off-trail. One of my favorite things about traveling cross country is the sense that you are seeing a place that very few others have visited. I also love not having to purify my drinking water.

Last July, while hiking the section of the SHR between N. Glacier Pass and Tuolumne, I was reveling in the apparent "pristine" quality of Bench Canyon. No sooner were the words out of my mouth, I was horrified to encounter a giant pile of unburied human poo in a sandy patch perhaps 50 feet from where we had pitched our tent complete with a equally giant wad of T.P. Granted, one has to work pretty hard to get to Bench Canyon----there is no easy way in or out. It absolutely killed me that someone who had the backpacking chops to get to a place such as Bench Canyon could be so lazy, ignorant and self-absorbed. Over the years, I've sadly found lots of soap bubbles eddied out in backcountry streams and lakes. I think, perhaps, some people take the "biodegradable" label on their Camp Suds a bit too literally and wash themselves and their pots directly in the stream. So, I totally get the rant of the original poster. I share your pain.

Whitney would be a beautiful area to hike in the summer, if it wasn't for the people!
Along with others, I just avoid the most popular places. Which is a blessing in disguise, because generally, the places off the beaten path are in nice shape, just as beautiful, and you have them to yourselves.

My own rant: yes, the populace can be rulebreakers in the wilderness, and it bugs the heck out of me!
but I can't be holier than thou about it.
Afterall, how many of us ignore the speed limits, fudge on our taxes, cheat, lie, and otherwise break laws and rules when we want to, and think we can get away with it? (myself included)
And our national leaders! They are the most corrupt, dishonest, lawless group of thugs to ever rule this country. Of course, the people are not going to take the rules seriously.
Yes, I wish they would follow leave no trace. but until that utopian day arrives, I will try and avoid the trails most traveled the best I can.

For the last 6 years my pal & I have used LLamas to carry our equipment and what that means is that we can pick up garbage on our way out. We do so because we love the Sierra and we did it when we were carrying it on our backs, but now we can feel virtuous while the llamas do the work. We all should pick up whatever trash we can carry. Try to remember that we need a lot of people to be invested in preserving the Sierra and that means gently educating Newbies. While Cheryl Strayed may have encourages less-than-ready folks to try the PCT, she did succeed in exciting interest in hiking. - LLamalady

iHartMK wrote:It's all of those LA & Orange County people. Last weekend I came across 4 tents about 3 feet from waters edge while walking around Jennie Lake. When I asked them where they were from, they said the Los Angeles area... of course. Is there no mountains down south?? Then Sunday after they left I walked through their camp, fire was still smoking and their trash was still there. SMH

I'm not here to point the finger at any regional people, Jimr.

I've hiked the wilderness up north and I've hiked the wilderness down south and there is a very noticeable difference. Desolation Wilderness is pristine compared to what one finds say, in the Cottonwood Lakes region. Cigarette butts??? Really??? At 11,000 feet???

It could be that some people in the north pack out more of the trash left by others in the north. I don't know. I'm just sharing my observation.

JMHO,

-Russ

No offense taken, not even by iHartMK. It's the word "ALL" that throws up the issue It's not all of us, but granted there is a large population down here who think nothing of leaving the place a shambles when they're done with their fun. Just go out into our local mountains and compare it to anywhere in the Sierra. Especially within walking distance of a parking area. Our mountains are treated more like a local park where somebody else will clean up the mess. In fact, I'm fairly sure it is often not given a second thought.

Certainly, the more local communities see the Sierra as their back yard rather than a local party venue. I wish more of us "big city" folks had that same attitude.

Just wanted to add that I think Warren made an excellent point in his last paragraph regarding user stats. I guess I don't pay much attention to stats.