Pack it out
In a colder place, Sherpas are picking up garbage left on Mount Everest by climbers. There’s a lot of it.
The highest camp on the world’s tallest mountain is littered with garbage that is going to take years to clean up, according to a Sherpa who led a team that worked to clear trash and dig up dead bodies frozen for years near Mount Everest’s peak.
The Nepal government-funded team of soldiers and Sherpas removed 11 tons (24,000 pounds) of garbage, four dead bodies and a skeleton from Everest during this year’s climbing season.
But there are maybe 40 to 50 tons left.
Since the peak was first conquered in 1953, thousands of climbers have scaled it and many have left behind more than just their footprints.
I hate that “conquered” trope. It’s so stupid and so pointlessly aggressive. Why can’t the word just be “climbed”?
Of the 11 tons of garbage removed, three tons of decomposable items were taken to villages near Everest’s base and the remaining eight were carried by porters and yaks and then taken by trucks to Kathmandu. There it was sorted for recycling at a facility operated by Agni Ventures, an agency that manages recyclable waste.
Nice of all those “conquerors” to leave all that crap on other people’s mountain.
Why do climbers leave garbage behind?
“At that high altitude, life is very difficult and oxygen is very low. So climbers and their helpers are more focused on saving themselves,” Khadga said.
Then don’t go. If you can’t climb the mountain without leaving all your garbage behind, then don’t climb the mountain. Nobody needs you to climb the mountain, so don’t.
By the way its name is not Everest, it’s Chomolungma.
The same reason everyone else who leaves garbage behind does — because they’re inconsiderate slobs. I recently road tripped across the country, and stopped here and there to take short walks, in which I always encounter litter. Some of it is ignorance, but I think most people who leave trash just don’t care. Damn them.
One time, when I was staying in Pittsburgh, my motel was on top of a high hill. Going down to sightsee was easy; coming back not so much. I decided to stop and take pictures of all the trash I saw. It took me a long time to get up, but it was easier than just climbing because I didn’t push so hard. There was a LOT of trash.
Some of the environmental students I worked with in Texas littered on purpose. They hated the Keep America Beautiful slogan (which was a corporate message trying to blame shift), and thought the highways were ugly, so they littered. Edward Abbey did the same. The thing is, the litter will draw animals to the roadside, especially food litter, and that increases roadkill.
I decided early on in my career I hated environmental philosophy; the students in that program refused to acknoweldge the science and came up with stupid shit like that.
It’s just an excuse to be an inconsiderate slob. Make the highways even more ugly? Fucking brilliant.
Some of the scenic byways are magnificent, and those lazy inconsiderate slobs would never see them if it weren’t for the highway system.
“Excuse to be an inconsiderate slob”
Remined me of something I saw on the helmet of a motorcycle rider.
“Loud pipes save lives”
The government there should charge a clean-up tax on climbers before allowing them to attempt the ascent.
There’s some truth to this, but it doesn’t make loud pipes any less obnoxious. Noise pollution is a thing. The 4th of July here in Atlanta is like living in a war zone too. Loud fireworks don’t save lives, they just scare the critters and disturb the peace. Effing yahoos.
Is it obvious that I’m a grumpy old man or what. (◔_◔)
Freemage @ 5, the government is now, according to the article.