Hiked the John Muir Trail in 2019 and again last summer. The difference in campsite trash was night and day.

Back in 2019 I saw maybe two wrappers the whole way, but last August I counted 17 pieces of random trash just between Tuolumne and Red's Meadow. Is the permit system just not keeping up with the crowd now, or are people getting sloppier?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_hart41mo ago

lol that "difference in campsite trash was night and day" line really hit me. I used to be one of those people who thought the permit system was overkill and that most hikers were pretty good about packing stuff out. But after doing the JMT in 2017 and then again in 2022 I totally changed my mind. The amount of wrappers and random junk I saw near popular spots like Guitar Lake and Whitney was honestly depressing. I think it's a mix of more people getting permits than before and some folks just getting lazy with their habits, especially the ones who aren't as experienced with leave no trace stuff.

the_hayden1mo ago

The same exact thing happens at trailheads near where I live in Colorado. I remember pulling into a popular spot near Brainard Lake last year and there were empty energy drink cans and granola bar wrappers just piled next to the register box. People will hike three miles into the backcountry with a thirty pound pack but can't carry out a single empty Clif bar wrapper. It's like there's this mental switch where once they're on vacation or in nature, normal rules about being a decent person just shut off. You see it in grocery store parking lots too with shopping carts left everywhere and people blocking fire lanes while they run in for "just one thing.

finleyl391mo ago

Watching people trash campsites is like seeing the same thing happen everywhere now. Go to any trailhead parking lot and it's littered with fast food bags and coffee cups people just toss out their car windows. Or a crowded city park after a sunny weekend and you can barely walk without stepping on a crushed beer can or a half eaten sandwich. People act like the rules don't apply to them once they're out of their own front yard. It's the same mindset that leaves shopping carts in the middle of a parking lot instead of walking five extra feet to the corral.