Today we decided to explore more of the desert around us. Putting our big half-ton heavy in four-wheel drive, we set out along "roads" (often no more than two ruts) to explore the area running parallel to the Whipple Mountains just north of us. We're going to take an old wagon trail up into the mountains next time out.
It was a beautiful drive. We did see more cactus closer to the mountains. We spotted cholla, prickley pear and some beautiful big barrel cactus. According to my map the road goes through to Parker Dam but we were stopped by workers on the road several miles east of us. We couldn't see whether or not we would be able to pass, but we decided to go back some other time. I will be really looking forward to that because the road turns into a very narrow, high walled pass through the mountains. There are some very interesting looking geological features just beyond that pass. The road becomes a 4x4 trail, but we shouldn't have any trouble.
On the way out I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be trash in the desert. The area around us has been remarkably clean. We decided that, on our way home, we'd check it out and see if it was something we could clean up. It isn't. We'd need a trailer or an open bed of a pickup truck.
If one of our fellow Boondockers United members (or anyone else) sees this and has a trailer we can use, I'll pay the dump fee. What I don't understand is why people who dump trash in the desert don't just take it to a dump or landfill. We'll have to go about 40 miles, but, assuming they came from town, it would have been a lot closer and a lot less gas for them to just take it to the dump. Why poison the desert? To save a couple of bucks?
Pamela offered the explanation that the perpetrators of this dastardly deed might have been living in the desert. That is a viable option. It doesn't, however, justify the act. Of course giving them an excuse was the farthest thing from Pamela's mind.
When we got home I was looking through some materials and thinking about today's blog. That's when I came across this Art Buckwald quote. Sorry, I can't give you its origins.
And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: "Look at this Godawful mess."
Why must humans be such filthy animals? When we are working at Glacier we carry a plastic bag with us whether we are out on trail patrol or just strolling through the forest. Why? Because of humans litter. We learned to do that because on one of our first hikes up the Avalanche Lake trail near our home Pamela found a dirty diaper that had been thrown into the woods along the trail. She didn't have a bag yet carried it several miles to the nearest trash. This and the trash in the desert are not just unsightly. This type of behavior is toxic to the environment and risks injury to those who must clean it up as well as the possible spread of disease among all animals, human and others.
Facebook reminded me today, with one of its "memory" posts, that it was a year ago today that Boondockers United went into the desert by Quartzsite, AZ and removed three large dual-axle trailers full of trash.The Whipple Mountains are a low ranger of mountains that are very barren, rugged piles of volcanic material. Some of them are a grey color while there is a long line of chocolate brown volcanic material. There is one peak near us which looks like the remains of a vent. (Picture below) I'd really like to explore it. The peak is called Savahia Peak. It's only 2600 ft high but looking at the topo it would be a heck of a hard 2600 foot climb. I'll let you know later.
I've been places where people could only manage to leave their trash sort of in the general vicinity of the dumpster. Because, two more feet would be too far.
ReplyDeleteSad.
ReplyDelete