We went backpacking at Snow Mountain in late March, but this is not a trail summary. It’s more of a gripe similar to what I wrote in 2019 about garbage people left behind near the Fleming Trail System in the Eldorado National Forest.
We were going to backpack to the East Peak of Snow Mountain and camp there for the night and return the following day. We ran into a complication and had to call an audible and double back to Cedar Camp where the Summit Springs Trail and the Milk Ranch Trail intersect and spent the night there.
We settled in around one of the fire rings made by previous campers. As we started to look around the area, what we found was appalling. The trash left behind by backpackers and campers was horrendous. If you’re day hiking through, you’re probably not going see most of it, as most of it was intentionally hidden under a pile of brush. At least a dozen plastic bottles we could see were thrown into the brush like it was a garbage can. We found plastic bottle caps throughout the area, a crushed empty can of Spam in one fire pit, a vaping canister on the ground, an abandoned cooking grill, a cigarette carton, and some miscellaneous garbage laying around. About a year and a half ago we day hiked to the East Peak, and we came across a tent in the area, and we weren’t sure if it was abandoned or not. It was still standing at the time. This time, it was still there flattened and laying on the ground.
If you choose to watch the video below, it’s best to enlarge it so you can see it on your full screen.
In 2018, the Ranch Fire decimated the area leaving a massive almost beyond comprehension graveyard of trees, but that’s no reason to continue to trash the location. What really gets to me is this area is so desolate and not easy to get to, it would seem hikers and backpackers who seek out the area would want to practice leave no trace ethics.
Since we were unable to make it to the East Peak, we plan on either backpacking the trail again or day hiking it later this year. When we go, we are going to take a couple of large garbage bags to collect the trash we found and properly dispose of it.