Mt Whitney Zone Forums Thread Like Summary - QR code Vandalism on Summit

Someone tarred a QR code geotag to the summit. If anyone is going up soon and wants to find it and take it down I would appreciate it. If not I’ll do it myself in November.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuKBnorW6q/?utm_medium=copy_link

Simply put: Leave no Trace means leave no trace. I've been up Whitney now over 13 times and each year the trash problem gets worse - now this. The first time I stood on top of the summit back in 2007, there were no Mt. Whitney wood or metal signs scattered all over the summit. Unfortunately, social media has made this worse. It's all about the picture people can get on the summit so they can receive likes, sponsors, sell their products, etc. I've seen the posts. This geotag at the summit with a fallen soldier is no different. It's not about the soldier, it's about exploiting Mt. Whitney. Where does it stop? Where does the line get drawn? That is why there is a quota for Whitney. Can you imagine if there wasn't? Whitney would be a turd-hole. Sadly, Trail camp is pretty much that - a trash dump. This whole geotagging may not seem a big deal for some people, but for people like me who have been carefully treading, peakbagging, and exploring the Sierra Nevadas since a kid, it's something to be concerned about.

As for the Park Rangers getting up there and taking this geotag off the summit... wishful thinking. The Park service is extremely understaffed as of late. I've talked to a handful of NPS rangers and staff and they literally have no staffing power to get out and check permits. So, I highly doubt they will have the time to get to the summit and remove this geotag. If someone wants to remove it - by all means do so.

New hikers who are going for the summit: bring your own signs for pictures & social media, pack EVERYTHING out, including your poop, Leave zero trace, never tag the summit with anything.

I know I am most likely "preaching to the choir", but for those new hikers who are reading this remember you are not the only one hiking up to the summit. We can all do better.

Touchy subject. I am new to this forum, rarely post. Got a great deal of info from this forum that helped prepare me for a successful summit back in July.

Okay, so the group that plastered this tag to a rock on the summit lost a friend. Sorry for their loss but people lose loved ones everyday and they are not compelled to go out and commit vandalism to honor a memory.

This certainly isn't as egregious as the people that decided to go four wheeling on the playa in Death Valley a few years ago but it is born from selfishness just the same.

That rock on the summit of Whitney has been there for thousands and thousands of years same as it ever was until someone tagged it. No different in my mind than had they sprayed painted it. It did not need to happen.

The leave no trace principal exists for a reason. There are very few places left on the planet where sapiens have not left a mark. Our national parks and forests are treasures, they are suffering. They deserve our respect.

Steve,

I have a slightly different take on this. Although leaving permanent marks on the mountain or anywhere in national parks is inappropriate, it appears that they installed the tag in memory of a friend who died in the military. So we don't really know if this particular incident reflects the lack of respect for others (and the wilderness) or it was simply an honest mistake made out of ignorance. Perhaps someone could contact the woman and explain to her that what they did was wrong before starting a massive witch hunt. Also, I would leave it up to the rangers to remove the tag, unless the offender chooses to go back and do it herself. In the grand scheme of things, plastic from abandoned poop bags and other trash does more harm in the Whitney zone.

Edit to add: Enjoy the Garnet lake trip! I will be heading to the same area in 3 weeks! Perhaps you could stash a few beers? (j/k)

Nicely done. I took a screen shot.

They deleted my comment...