I always enjoy reading the comments readers take time to post on my blogs. Yesterday's "Compulsive Obsessive" sparked 3 comments which I have posted below and added my own note afterwards.
Ann wrote:
I, too am disgusted with all the litter I encounter when I hike state park trails on my many camping trips. I've taken to carrying a small trash bag and frequently fill it on a 2-3 mile hike. I understand that sometimes things get lost (like the necklace you found), but other stuff is (at best) carelessness and (at worst) deliberate littering due to ignorance or laziness or something. Its not that hard to pack out your litter. But, there will always be people who don't care I guess.
I am glad to hear from other caring souls! We will always need more angels willing to pick up after the slouches, clods, dimwits, lamebrains and ratbags. Last year I workamped in a different park that had closed off one section to cars. Hikers were allowed to park and walk into the closed section. We asked them to bring their garbage out with them. It surely fell on deaf ears for some. I was astonished at the amount of leftover picnics I had to clean up after.
Martha wrote:
The cross looks like one my husband wears. It's made with horse shoe nails. They really should pay you for your work.
Ah ha! I wondered what kind of nails those were. I have it in my "Lost and Found" pile in case someone inquires about it. The leather is pretty worn out, like it might have been in the lake awhile. An amazing amount of garbage washes up on the lake shore, where I found the necklace. Last year's floods deposited a ton or more of garbage in this little park, making me nearly crazy as I toiled day after day trying to get to it all. Sometimes I put the shoes and clothes at the life jacket stand at the end of the parking lot, but often the maintenance workers that empty the garbage cans nearby will toss it in.
As for paying me, I often think with laughter, that it's a good thing folks like me are willing to volunteer so that the almighty politicians can continue to maintain their lavish lifestyles with exorbitant salaries, outlandish perks and sumptuous retirement schemes. Where would they be without us volunteers?
Anonymous wrote:
Good for you! I save aluminum cans for my son to recycle. The cash adds up rapidly in NC. Does SC recycle in the parks? Enjoy your blogs and check regularly for them. on Compulsive Obsessive
This park where I volunteer, does not have recycle bins probably because there is not a campground within this particular park. Most of them do have recycle bins, but I've seen folks do some awful things to those sometimes. I just wish Americans as a whole had a better attitude towards cleaning up their paradise.
A family walked in the other day with small children, dragging small bags of cans. They asked if there was a fee for them to walk-in (cars are charged $4 each). I told them there was no fee for walk-ins. They wanted to look for cans and I had just cleaned the park. I told them to feel free to check all the garbage cans and remove the aluminum cans. I was hoping they were going to come every day, but I only saw them that one time.
There is a place on the shoreline that has some cans that I haven't been able to reach yet. I was hoping the kids could scramble over the rocky terrain to get to them, but I noticed they are still there. If an area looks snaky or an ankle breaker, I try to be super careful. Sometimes I just have to leave the garbage there because I feel like I can't safely reach it. Mostly this is our illustrious beer drinkers who feel compelled to toss their beer cans deep into the woods. I would rather they just drop them in the road where I can at least get to it without risking a broken leg.
Recently I found a super heavy water logged blanket or carpet that had tears and rips on the edge of the shore. I dragged it up further inland to some sunshine. Either I was super weak or it was very heavy. I was hoping once it dried out, I can get it to a garbage can. I also found a very old shoe and a rotten rope nearby. It seemed very creepy to me for some indeterminate reason.
My dog has been quite adventurous with me, finding garbage but sometimes he doesn't want to enter an area where there is garbage in the woods. I listen to him, that it might be snaky. I mean he will defiantly plant his little paws and refuse to budge. Sadly we sometimes just have to leave it behind for the sake of our own safety.
Ann wrote:
I, too am disgusted with all the litter I encounter when I hike state park trails on my many camping trips. I've taken to carrying a small trash bag and frequently fill it on a 2-3 mile hike. I understand that sometimes things get lost (like the necklace you found), but other stuff is (at best) carelessness and (at worst) deliberate littering due to ignorance or laziness or something. Its not that hard to pack out your litter. But, there will always be people who don't care I guess.
I am glad to hear from other caring souls! We will always need more angels willing to pick up after the slouches, clods, dimwits, lamebrains and ratbags. Last year I workamped in a different park that had closed off one section to cars. Hikers were allowed to park and walk into the closed section. We asked them to bring their garbage out with them. It surely fell on deaf ears for some. I was astonished at the amount of leftover picnics I had to clean up after.
Martha wrote:
The cross looks like one my husband wears. It's made with horse shoe nails. They really should pay you for your work.
Ah ha! I wondered what kind of nails those were. I have it in my "Lost and Found" pile in case someone inquires about it. The leather is pretty worn out, like it might have been in the lake awhile. An amazing amount of garbage washes up on the lake shore, where I found the necklace. Last year's floods deposited a ton or more of garbage in this little park, making me nearly crazy as I toiled day after day trying to get to it all. Sometimes I put the shoes and clothes at the life jacket stand at the end of the parking lot, but often the maintenance workers that empty the garbage cans nearby will toss it in.
As for paying me, I often think with laughter, that it's a good thing folks like me are willing to volunteer so that the almighty politicians can continue to maintain their lavish lifestyles with exorbitant salaries, outlandish perks and sumptuous retirement schemes. Where would they be without us volunteers?
Anonymous wrote:
Good for you! I save aluminum cans for my son to recycle. The cash adds up rapidly in NC. Does SC recycle in the parks? Enjoy your blogs and check regularly for them. on Compulsive Obsessive
This park where I volunteer, does not have recycle bins probably because there is not a campground within this particular park. Most of them do have recycle bins, but I've seen folks do some awful things to those sometimes. I just wish Americans as a whole had a better attitude towards cleaning up their paradise.
A family walked in the other day with small children, dragging small bags of cans. They asked if there was a fee for them to walk-in (cars are charged $4 each). I told them there was no fee for walk-ins. They wanted to look for cans and I had just cleaned the park. I told them to feel free to check all the garbage cans and remove the aluminum cans. I was hoping they were going to come every day, but I only saw them that one time.
There is a place on the shoreline that has some cans that I haven't been able to reach yet. I was hoping the kids could scramble over the rocky terrain to get to them, but I noticed they are still there. If an area looks snaky or an ankle breaker, I try to be super careful. Sometimes I just have to leave the garbage there because I feel like I can't safely reach it. Mostly this is our illustrious beer drinkers who feel compelled to toss their beer cans deep into the woods. I would rather they just drop them in the road where I can at least get to it without risking a broken leg.
Recently I found a super heavy water logged blanket or carpet that had tears and rips on the edge of the shore. I dragged it up further inland to some sunshine. Either I was super weak or it was very heavy. I was hoping once it dried out, I can get it to a garbage can. I also found a very old shoe and a rotten rope nearby. It seemed very creepy to me for some indeterminate reason.
My dog has been quite adventurous with me, finding garbage but sometimes he doesn't want to enter an area where there is garbage in the woods. I listen to him, that it might be snaky. I mean he will defiantly plant his little paws and refuse to budge. Sadly we sometimes just have to leave it behind for the sake of our own safety.
I'm glad Harley is looking out for you. Listen to him. I wish a couple of my house cats were more snake savvy. They were slapping at a snake the other day. Good thing it wasn't poisonous.
ReplyDeleteI used to have 3 cats and one was an avid snake hunter. He would handle them then kill them. It was amazing and scary. I figure if my fearless dog is afraid of something, then I should sit up and pay attention. I truly hate snakes. Yucky poo!
ReplyDelete