Trash in the backcountry.

[BigDog00]

Pack it out. Its a lot lighter than what you brought in.

 

[W.D. Crawford]

I do the same. I can't believe how many wrappers a guy comes across every year. I don't understand why people just leave or throw their miniature candy bar wrappers any where. Wrappers are so small and light I just don't understand leaving garbage behind.

I am amazed when I am in the backcountry and I come across and old beer or soda can and when I mean old I'm talking about the can being opened with a church key or a pull tab. The can full weighed 12-14 oz. empty maybe 2? Why they couldn't pack that out I'll never know.

 

[elkbowkevin]

I see old "backcountry camps" all the time out in the woods and every time there is a fire ring or evidence of a fire I see old partially burned up plastics and crap in there. Some animals always end up diggin it up and spreadin it around.

On a side note:
About 30 years ago I was hiking with my dad into the back-country spot to hunt elk west of Klamath Falls Oregon. We were back in there about 5-6 miles. We're following this small creek up to some meadows that we knew about in there, laying in the Creek, was 4 beers!
We're talking the black and white generic "BEER" can beers with the pull tabs. They had seen some wear as some of the paint was worn off from the silt and stuff hitting the cans but we pulled em out. He popped one open and took a sip... then spit it back out... said it was kinda skunky...LOL.

We poured the rest out, rinsed and crushed the cans and then I put em in my pack to take out. About 100 yds or so up the creek we came across a small "log cabin" shack kinda thing, it was about 8x8 and about 5' tall. It was made with about 5" lodgepoles, Funny thing was all the trees around were 18-24" thick. My dad remembered when he was a teen him and G'pa were in there in the early 60's and found it. Maybe some old crusty mt hunter used that & had brought in the "beer" for his hunt camp or something.

Found a camp a couple years back where some dudes brought in some home brews in wine size bottles with crimp-caps, There was a whole case and 8 left, with some pine needles fallen onto the wood crate. Probably been there a couple weeks at most.
So,,, I took it upon myself to sample one as I camped there for the night... Man talk about HIGH GRAVITY... whoooo doggy, I caught a real buzz off about 1/2 of one of those bottles. Brought a couple others home. It was kind of a hefi-ipa cross kinda thing.. Dude knew how to brew thats for sure!

 

[aboltlrhunter]

I see old "backcountry camps" all the time out in the woods and every time there is a fire ring or evidence of a fire I see old partially burned up plastics and crap in there. Some animals always end up diggin it up and spreadin it around.

On a side note:
About 30 years ago I was hiking with my dad into the back-country spot to hunt elk west of Klamath Falls Oregon. We were back in there about 5-6 miles. We're following this small creek up to some meadows that we knew about in there, laying in the Creek, was 4 beers!
We're talking the black and white generic "BEER" can beers with the pull tabs. They had seen some wear as some of the paint was worn off from the silt and stuff hitting the cans but we pulled em out. He popped one open and took a sip... then spit it back out... said it was kinda skunky...LOL.

We poured the rest out, rinsed and crushed the cans and then I put em in my pack to take out. About 100 yds or so up the creek we came across a small "log cabin" shack kinda thing, it was about 8x8 and about 5' tall. It was made with about 5" lodgepoles, Funny thing was all the trees around were 18-24" thick. My dad remembered when he was a teen him and G'pa were in there in the early 60's and found it. Maybe some old crusty mt hunter used that & had brought in the "beer" for his hunt camp or something.

Found a camp a couple years back where some dudes brought in some home brews in wine size bottles with crimp-caps, There was a whole case and 8 left, with some pine needles fallen onto the wood crate. Probably been there a couple weeks at most.
So,,, I took it upon myself to sample one as I camped there for the night... Man talk about HIGH GRAVITY... whoooo doggy, I caught a real buzz off about 1/2 of one of those bottles. Brought a couple others home. It was kind of a hefi-ipa cross kinda thing.. Dude knew how to brew thats for sure!

Haha that's awesome, cool story. Had the cabin looked like it had any sign of use lately?


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[les welch]

Pack it in, pack it out. It's the wilderness ethic. And pack out other peoples trash too if you can.

Exactly ^^^

 

[elkyinzer]

I don't burn plastic because I am pretty sure it doesn't burn at campfire temps, just melts. It also stinks when it's thrown in the fire and isn't heavy to pack out anyway.

I always pack out other trash I find because accidents happen and stuff falls out of pockets, packs, blows out of vehicles, etc. so I like to think by packing out other crap I find along the way, I am netting my accidental littering to below zero.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I pack everything out unless I have a fire (rare), remember if your burying it a bear will probably be digging it back up and your trash will still be left out in the open.

The only thing I bury has to do with TP usage. I don't pack that out unless I'm on glacier or such that requires it.

 

[Summitmike]

What i ment in a earlier post was burning plastic only in an extremely hot fire were the plastic is completely gone not leaving a trace behind. As I always leave the Wilderness cleaner than it was when I got there. I can see some points here though might be easier to just carry it out as it's extremely light.

 

[elkbowkevin]

That "cabin" we located had not been used by any humans in years. Squirrels took it over and had a pile of those pine cone flakes in there from gringin on cones, and what looked like a rats nest in one corner. Totally smelled like rodent whiz in there.
Wish we'd had a camera back then and took a pic of it. It was a really cool setting out in the wilderness. If those walls could talk Im sure they could tell some awesome stories.

 

[mtnkid85]

I rarely have a fire these days, so I pack it out. I always try to stuff everything into what ever empty package I have at hand, tuna packet or MH ect.

 

[Steve Gray]

Burn straight to ashes if you can...If not, carry out. I was backpacking this summer and we were about 7 miles in at our camp spot. You could tell there was a normal fire ring someone had built awhile ago. We were digging up around it to reinforce the walls and broke open a trash pocket in the ground. Let me tell you, it was disgusting and the smell made me almost puke. I believe it had to have been an outfitter because there were coors cans and bottles...full meals everything. It was just gross and i cut my finger on the glass bottle.

 

[CA Karen]

Pack it in, pack it out no excuses period.