Garbage at the crag

[mick]

I spent the last two weekends on Paces Lake, and on both occasions I came across garbage left behind by people before me. Beer cans, gatorade bottles, a family-size bag of dill pickle sunflower seeds, and other miscellaneous trash. What bothers me about this is that I found this junk at climbing areas, not just on public paths. The people who littered were almost certainly climbers.

Access to First Face is already a contentious issue. Landowners have accused climbers of making a mess and I rebutted these claims vehemently by stating that no one from my beloved climbing community would ever do such a thing. And yet, there I was, confronted by garbage left behind by climbers.

When you are out enjoying nature please strive to Leave No Trace that anyone was ever there. Pack out your trash and pick up after slobs. I packed out the refuse I found and if you find any kind of garbage in the wilderness, it is your duty to do so as well, whether it’s convenient or not. I don’t know who left their crap behind and I’m not about to start pointing fingers, but its disappointing that a fellow climber would think this behavior is appropriate.

Please don’t litter.

-mick

http://www.climbnovascotia.ca/2010/08/leave-no-trace/