High Sierra Topix

Last weekend 4 day loop in Emigrant Wilderness: Kennedy Meadows, Iceland Lake, Lewis Lakes, Emigrant Meadow, Buck Lakes, northernmost Wire Lake, Upper Relief Valley.

We were planning to go to Hoover Wilderness out of Green Creek, but when we got in the morning to Sonora Pass on highway 108 the road was closed because of an empty FedEx truck accident on a hair-pin turn. Since hazmat had to be involved (due to diesel fuel near a creek) it would take till about noon to open the highway.

Here is the trash we packed out. Found titanium knife and fork.

Trash picked from a trip to Onion Valley over a week ago:

+1 to @tomba's post about balloons. This year I found (and packed out) at least a dozen mylar balloons over various trips in May and June. Uggh.

Way too many of those in Death Valley last week. We pulled out four of them over two days.

At least the mylar balloons are light weight and easy to pack out. Beer bottles, as show by tomba are another thing! And although tissues and TP are light to pick up there is the YUK factor. Day hikers particularly seem to think nothing of throwing their used tissues on the trail.

Some of the items I have found have been useful, and I kept them! Such as a nice titanium fork.

Here are two items I found that I did NOT carry out: found them below a melted glacier in Wyoming.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:33 am Beer bottles, as show by tomba are another thing!

Absolutely.
Thanks tomba for hauling all those loads of OPG out.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:33 amDay hikers particularly seem to think nothing of throwing their used tissues on the trail.

That's a mighty broad brush you're painting with... especially since most day hikers just poop when they get back to a toilet. When it comes to which group has less of an impact per capita on the backcountry, I'm gonna bet on the group that eats, sleeps and poops somewhere else.

"trash" is what is left behind that SHOULD be carried out. Poop properly buried (TP carried out), or fish guts and bones properly disposed of are not "trash". Yes backpackers "impact" more, but trash does not equal impact.

Case in point- I find lots of tissues dropped, clothing articles left, empty water bottles, etc. on the heavily used trails out of Yosemite Valley. The farther into the backcountry, the less trailside trash. Part is that backpack usage is limited by the permits; day hikes are not, so the hordes of day-hikers leave more total trash than the backpackers. Granted, if you consider per-capita, maybe not.

But I think it is more due to attitude- front-country users simply think some park service employee will come along and pick up after them. A lot of day-hikers have similar attitudes. If you really want to see trash, go into any of the Yosemite Valley restrooms (particularly woman's) and the floor is littered with TP that the user dropped probably by accident, yet refused to pick up after themselves.

Picking up after one's self is learned behavior (as any mother knows!). And we come from a society where one puts trash out on the curb, and miracles of miracles, a big noisy truck comes along and picks it all up! Unless taught, the idea of putting ones used TP in a bag and carrying it out is foreign to a lot of people. Backpackers at least get the "talk" while obtaining their permit, and know even if they fail to act, that you "carry it in- carry it out". I have seen many day-hikers blow their nose in tissues (they really should learn to snort) then look bewildered for a moment, before discretely dropping the used tissue along the trail.

When I'm backpacking, I don't see much trash. I do see money, all in small coins. On the average trip, I go home with an extra 37 cents.

Do I have to claim that as ordinary income on my taxes?

Bishop Pass, Dusy Basin, Palisade Basin, 4 days last weekend. 4 stakes, 3 of them found in Palisade Basin. No conditions report because @mort already reported them.