It was a great trip to the Eastern Sierras and Yosemite a week ago. I really saw some amazing sites and took some great photos, which I’ll be posting in my galleries and blog soon. However, as I hiked the tails throughout the beautiful landscapes, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of litter around me. Yes, you read it right, litter.

As I return frequently to the majestic mountains of the Sierras, it’s becoming more common for me to take notice of the way we care for our environment. I’m not sure I understand why people feel the need to litter our beautiful world. Where did we go wrong? Is it a mistake? Is it done on purpose? Is it done for fun? Is it done because someone feels they are deserving?

While in the Mammoth Lakes area, I stopped by one of my favorite places; the Earthquake Fault. I have great memories of going there with my parents when I was a kid and I like returning to have a small snack at one of the picnic tables near the parking lot. This time, after I had something to eat, I took a much closer inspection of the area. There seemed to be a lot of litter lying around. I ended up taking photos of the litter I saw and began to think more about a photo project I had in mind for the past couple of years. Maybe it’s time for people to see the amount of litter that’s been left in our national parks and forests.

I had the opportunity to speak to a really nice woman who works for the National Park Service and who collects the trash from the reciprocals in the surrounding areas. She allowed me to take a photo of her truck and the amount of trash she collected so far for the day:

She told me that there were volunteers who came in and cleaned up the area recently, but the litter seemed to return just as fast as it was cleaned up. Looking at the bags of trash in her truck, I began to think, “How many more bags would there be if all the litter made it to the reciprocals?”

Below are photos of litter and the areas I found it in. I, of course, picked up what I could and placed it in the nearest reciprocal. I’m going to do more research for the photo project over the next few weeks and hope to come up with a better idea of how to present it and the amount of time it will take to complete. Just like everything else in life, you have to take baby steps and work your way up.

Earthquake Fault parking area in Mammoth Lakes, CA. (above)

Rainbow Falls near Devils Postpile. See the red bottle in the one photo? I couldn’t reach the bottle because it was up a very steep slope. I’ve also posted a photo of Rainbow Falls that I took on the trip. Why would anyone want to leave trash around such a beautiful area?! (above)

Siesta Lake, Yosemite National Park. (above)

Lukens Lake parking area, Yosemite National Park. The pink plate and cup are deep inside the stump. I couldn’t reach it, believe it or not. That’s how deep the stump was. (above)

Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias, Crain Flats, Yosemite National park. (above)

Have a great week everyone!