#GoodSNEWS: Thru-hikers give up ultralight dreams to pack out your trash
We've all seen litter on the trail. But how often do we pick it up? Granite Gear is encouraging us to do better.
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Granite Gear’s Grounds Keepers are busy packing out other people’s trash while they thru-hike some of America’s most iconic trails.
And some of the stuff they pack out makes no sense at all. Like, a bowling ball, which leaves us with far more questions than answers. But Grounds Keeper Andrew Forestell packed out that 16-pound ball of nonsense anyway.
The Grounds Keepers program started up earlier this year in an effort to clean up after litterbugs and work toward having a trail system with no trash at all.
“We want our hiking areas to be in the best shape they can be for centuries to come so that future generations can enjoy them as we do,” says Shelly Smith, of Granite Gear’s PR and marketing team. “The ultimate goal is for it to be second nature for everyone to pack out their own trash and others’. Then, eventually, the Grounds Keepers will have no trash to pack out while on trail.”
So far, Grounds Keepers have packed out more than 400 pounds of trash.
