Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Disappointments at the Portal/MR

In my wanderings around the Portal Friday afternoon, I saw a few really disturbing things. I tried to clean up a bit, but really, I think it's everyone's responsibility to police themselves and to spread the message to everyone visiting. I mean, there are definitely times when I need to have a mute button on my big mouth, but some things are just too important to let go.

1) Firewood. This is not my idea of an optimal method of building a fire:



Nor is this the optimal method for disposing of firewood:



I just hope that these were already downed pieces of trees and not hacked off by some schmoo who decided he desperately needed to get warm.

2) Garbage. And we wonder WHY there are so many bears at the Portal nowadays??



Um, yeah.

3) PACK OUT YOU'RE G-D POOP ALREADY!



This was next to the summit register.

Please, everyone. I'm practically begging here. Take responsibility for your stuff (I know this is preaching to the choir on the board, but somehow we have to get this to more people!). And if you see something stupid, CALL THEM ON IT. Even I can be diplomatic from time to time on an as needed basis. But the season is upon us, and we need to take care of Whitney and the Sierra.

'Nuff said.

-L

I saw some of that stuff last week when I was up the MR too. I can understand dropping something on accident. I left my hat on LBSL last year. But not taking your own poop?
I have a personal policy of picking up trash along the way, ewww even poop bags and hauling it out with me. Certainly not everything I see, hey I'm not the garbage man, but if everyone picked up a couple of things each trip it sure would help.
I know, I know, we shouldn't have to do that, blah, blah, blah.

I'll second (or third) the sentiment. Thanks to everyone who does his or her part in keeping it clean. Though I must confess that one of my gloves is probably hanging out with your hat at LBSL. Ugh.

I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the cause is hopeless . No matter what we do or say, there will always be a small percentage of the wilderness population that for whatever reasons - ignorance, pig headedness, getting off on intentionally breaking the rules - will desecrate the landscape.

About halfway through my 16 day trek last year at Gallats Lake, I discovered a large amout of trash, plastic bags, and garbage just left in a pile in the meadow. I spent a lot of time wondering what kind of mindset would cause one to do such a thing? How could even one neuron in someone's brain propose that littering the backcountry days in from any trailhead, in one of the most beautiful parts of the Sierra, was a good idea?

Applying logic will not work. Causing embarrassment to the perp and the threat of an ass kicking might.

I'd add arrogance and self-centeredness to that. The rules apply to everyone but me, because I'm special. (Hm, we tell our kids in school that now, don't we?) Or, I'm hungry, I'm tired, I gotta use the potty, so it's ok to toss my trash, or crap in the meadow and leave the TP there.

Laura,

Somehow I like your Black and White Landscape photography much better.



avid