Mt Trashmore - Golden State Garbage

[RH]

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Some of my big trash hauls during hikes the past year.

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[Matthew]

Dude I think we are experiencing the revival of this forum in real time! This is such a dope way to share trash pickups. I think this might be considered fine art

[JeffH]

Are these all single trips? Do you bring a separate backpack just for the trash?

[RH]

Are these all single trips? Do you bring a separate backpack just for the trash?

Each photo was a separate day hike with just my trusty Osprey Manta 36 stuffing the non-zip pouches with trash throughout the hike. If I forget my bear spray, that frees up an additional mesh side pocket. The only one I had trouble with was Waterman with the tent poles as they weighed 9lbs alone. I ended up carrying the poles and the white lid in my hands about a mile back to my car. Luckily most large or heavy trash is usually in close proximity to trailheads so not toting too much extra weight throughout the day except glass bottles.

[RH]

Dude I think we are experiencing the revival of this forum in real time! This is such a dope way to share trash pickups. I think this might be considered fine art

These are just the big hauls and only in the past year. I started hiking over a decade ago and would always pick up some water bottles, chip bags, and balloons. I once returned with a trash bag to the off-trail canyons around Devils Punchbowl (see below) because there was so much crap in them.

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[RH]

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This was from PCT and Three Points TH area. It took me a couple trips back to the car.

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[RH]

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The 8-person tent that had been left along with other trash on the north slopes of the west ridge. I had hauled it down to PCT one hike and then the next hike, I hauled it to my car where you can see it took up the entire trunk.
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And this trash I picked up in the ravine where missing Monica's beanie was found, as well as in the ravine south of there, and along the PCT on the north side of same mountain.
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[Matthew]

Dude how big is your backpack? Where are you storing all this stuff on hikes?

[Nate U]

Dude, good for you!!!! Amazing example to set.

[Sean]

This is great. Thanks for cleaning up the mountains! One of my better hauls was cleaning up an abandoned, bear-ravaged campsite at Upper Henninger. It was only a smelly two-person tent, though, plus a torn sleeping bag, a bunch of junky clothes and random garbage. The can opener and taser were keepers. I think I also kept the oven mitts after washing them.

[RH]

Dude how big is your backpack? Where are you storing all this stuff on hikes?

The tent was unique. I stuffed it with other trash, then dragged it down the mountain via relatively clear chutes except occasionally lifting it over logs or boulders.

The rest of it is just my Osprey Manta 36 stuffing the non-zip pouches (one in front, 2 mesh side ones, and one "helmet pouch" that I use for thin jacket sometime). Things like those old electric cables I carry by hand if I'm within a mile of the car. Crush metal cans down and sometime plastic bottles if they aren't brittle yet so they take up less space.

I also carry my usual stuff in it: windbreaker, knife, first aid kit, poncho, mirror, snacks, 2L-3L water bladder, flashlight, spare batteries, head net, compass, handcrank flashlight, collapsed hiking pole, Garmin inReach mini, electrolyte capsules, and sometimes bear spray.

I generally pick up less trash on longer hikes but yesterday's was only 6.2 miles w/ 1800' gain (1.5 miles off-trail).

[RH]

This is great. Thanks for cleaning up the mountains! One of my better hauls was cleaning up an abandoned, bear-ravaged campsite at Upper Henninger. It was only a smelly two-person tent, though, plus a torn sleeping bag, a bunch of junky clothes and random garbage. The can opener and taser were keepers. I think I also kept the oven mitts after washing them.

A taser!? Damn! Several years ago, I picked up a large knife from the glider crash on north side of Baden-Powell. I've kept a 2-3 horseshoes I've found on hikes.

[RH]

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Well I hadn't hiked in four weeks mainly because of my first case ever of Covid (it kicked my ass). I wanted something easy so I invited a couple friends to go to Alder Saddle/Sulphur Springs area for an easy 4 miles while picking up some trash. I figured they'd just hang out while I collected but they both got into helping find and collect stuff. We ended up hauling out 30 lbs of mostly ammo. My friend Aleshia rarely hikes but she collected 5 lbs. My friend James hikes often and collected 7 lbs. I put my bag to the limit with 16 lbs plus the circuit board (old portable TV maybe) I clipped to my backpack for an extra 3 lbs. And the sad part is how many thousands of rounds of shells are still up there (mostly .22 and they're not magnetic).
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[Matthew]

Dawg this is wildly impressive stuff right here!!!

[RH]

Dawg this is wildly impressive stuff right here!!!

More like wildly depressive

[David R]

There used to be a shooting range out there, not surprising. Hiking to Bare is littered with spent ammo.

[Taco]

If you think that's bad, you should try the dirt roads I take out of Palmdale. Enormous amounts of trash.

If anyone finds any clean .45-70 brass, or Lake City 5.56, holla at a playa. I found 5 cases of 7mm Remington Magnum on my last ride (thought of this thread immeidately). I don't own anything in that caliber, probably never will. Anyway!

I've been picking up a buncha trash and carrying it in my front bag. This thread is motivating me to pick up even more trash. Thank you.

[RH]

There used to be a shooting range out there, not surprising. Hiking to Bare is littered with spent ammo.

Yep, my friend and I did Bare in 2018 and I kept thinking about the spent ammo. So I finally returned this year a couple times to clean up some of it.
Any info on that shooting range? Normally a shooting range is specific about where you fire from and toward. But this seems to be heavy in two spots with ammo radiating outward at least 50' as well as lots of ammo on the dirt road (and some on the paved part from Alder) including some that look fairly new. I thought it closed 20 years ago but I guess no one ever bothered to clean up the area(s).

[David R]

There used to be a shooting range out there, not surprising. Hiking to Bare is littered with spent ammo.

Yep, my friend and I did Bare in 2018 and I kept thinking about the spent ammo. So I finally returned this year a couple times to clean up some of it.
Any info on that shooting range? Normally a shooting range is specific about where you fire from and toward. But this seems to be heavy in two spots with ammo radiating outward at least 50' as well as lots of ammo on the dirt road (and some on the paved part from Alder) including some that look fairly new. I thought it closed 20 years ago but I guess no one ever bothered to clean up the area(s).

If you take a look at the topo map, you can see where the shooting range was. It is right before the turnoff for the hike up to Bare. I believe the original route up to Bare which used to hike up the ridge near the PCT was in order to get around the shooting range as it is a very inefficient way to to get to the peak. My experience going back 25 years was that a lot of these areas were like the Wild West so there may have been a designated area but people had a good time wherever. Another place where crazy shooting and drinking used to happen is off the fire road that leads to Pigeon Ridge there is a flat to the right. A forest service employee got hit by a stray bullet and it also started some fires so they closed it in the 90s. Tons of spent ammo there as well if you'd like to add to your collection.

[RH]

There used to be a shooting range out there, not surprising. Hiking to Bare is littered with spent ammo.

Yep, my friend and I did Bare in 2018 and I kept thinking about the spent ammo. So I finally returned this year a couple times to clean up some of it.
Any info on that shooting range? Normally a shooting range is specific about where you fire from and toward. But this seems to be heavy in two spots with ammo radiating outward at least 50' as well as lots of ammo on the dirt road (and some on the paved part from Alder) including some that look fairly new. I thought it closed 20 years ago but I guess no one ever bothered to clean up the area(s).

If you take a look at the topo map, you can see where the shooting range was. It is right before the turnoff for the hike up to Bare. I believe the original route up to Bare which used to hike up the ridge near the PCT was in order to get around the shooting range as it is a very inefficient way to to get to the peak. My experience going back 25 years was that a lot of these areas were like the Wild West so there may have been a designated area but people had a good time wherever. Another place where crazy shooting and drinking used to happen is off the fire road that leads to Pigeon Ridge there is a flat to the right. A forest service employee got hit by a stray bullet and it also started some fires so they closed it in the 90s. Tons of spent ammo there as well if you'd like to add to your collection.

I haven't heard of Pigeon Ridge. Is that off of CA39 on the way to Crystal Lake? Also, interesting is Pinyon Ridge (nowhere near Pinyon Flats) we found lots of spent shells there years ago and it was never a designated shooting area. Usually when you find a ton of shells you also find lots of beer cans and broken bottles.

I see the Pinyon Flats "shooting area" on PeakBagger's topo. You're right that the most direct way to Bare Mt was right at the designated shooting area. Apparently it officially closed in May 1996! "Beginning April 17, target practice will be off limits at the Kentucky Target Shooting Area, followed by the same restriction at the Pinyon and Horse shooting areas as of May 1. The Forest Service has long considered closing the areas, deputy Forest Supervisor Paul Johnson said, because they are open areas where shooting may impact other activities nearby. 'You have more people out hiking, more people mountain biking, nature lovers,' he said. 'We want to make sure these areas are safe and that the bullets, when they are discharged, do not ricochet.'”

[RH]

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This was my last ever haul from Pinyon Flats/Alder Saddle area. I found the main shooting area. It is a fool's errand trying to clean it up. Sadly there was at least one brand new large Modelo bottle and a tall boy Corona can (along the paved section from Alder Saddle down to Pinyon Flats) that were not there last weekend. I carried out 18.5 lbs in two grocery bags. I think I got most of the visible trash from the paved section, the dirt road, and some of the shooting areas. I concentrated on shotgun shells because they stand out more. I also picked up large pieces of broken glass, some telephone pieces, rusted cans & wires, larger caliber shells, and anything with unnatural colors.

I brought a large magnet on pole which was handy for finding bottle caps, large caliber ammo, and black shotgun shells. For some reason, the red/blue/green shotgun shells were not magnetic. And sadly the .22 ammo is not magnetic and there are thousands of rounds of it in that half mile stretch.

This was probably my last dedicated trash haul as well. I have one more large one around Three Points/PCT that I'd like to do sometime but otherwise I'm going back to just whatever trash I can carry in my backpack's extra pockets while doing actual hiking.
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