Originally Posted By: Chicagocwright
But how bad is this problem? I've been on the Trail 3/4 times now and have never seen a discarded WAG Bag.


Not sure what time of the year your trips up the MT have been, but the problem is most obvious/odious in mid-to-late summer when the sheer number of hikers has taken its toll. Four trips up the mountain for me, all in July and August, and the problem has been very evident each time. I've seen them liberally discarded at Trail Crest, Mirror Lake, BH Park, the two camps, Trailside Meadow, along the trail - hell, I even saw one in the summit hut. Trail Camp is the worst, especially just beyond the most-utilized campsites - by late summer it's basically a ghetto. If you look closely next time as you're cresting the trail to Trail Camp, there's a natural rock cavity to the right - maybe 15-20 feet off-trail, as I recall. I've seen as many as 100 used WBs in there, along with other assorted trash. I've been told this is where the rangers centrally stash trash they've found discarded in/around Trail Camp till it can (hopefully) be packed out. Or washed out in the spring melt - I'm not sure.

FWIW, last year a ranger stopped us around LPL (going down) for a permit check. He also asked to see our WBs, which we produced. Missed my opportunity to see what would happen if we said we had none . . .