Trash at Castlewood Canyon

I have been spending a lot of time at Castlewood in recent months, mostly bellow the northeast rim, by The Falls Wall and C-Section, and I am a bit disgusted with the amount of trash I've been finding. The trash in the photo was from a hike last Saturday to the Falls Wall via the park-maintained Falls Trail and the Falls Wall climber's trail that branches off of it. This was stuff I could see from the trail; I didn't have to go searching for any of it. It's hard to tell, but in the bag, there is 8 or so crushed up beer cans. 

Just a few weekends ago, I was on the Falls Wall trail with a buddy when we heard the sound of a glass bottle break in the distance. We continued hiking for about 30 seconds before we found 3 stoner looking kids who were in the process of throwing rocks and tree branches off a boulder. The glass from the Coors bottle they had just smashed on a rock was right in the middle of the trail as we walked by them. I was planning on picking it up the next time I was there, but my buddy was awesome enough to bend down and pick up most of the glass right in front of them as I sheepishly walked back to help him.

It's expected that with the growing popularity of Castlewood among casual hikers, there will be more trash in the park. There's not much that can be done about that, although I am currently pushing our lawmakers to make littering in state parks punishable by public hanging... still working on that... I'll get back to you there. In the meantime, bringing your own small trash bag when visiting the canyon (and any outdoor area for that matter) will have to do for now. Granted, a majority of the trash in the photo is from the tourist Falls Trail, but I have been seeing a fair amount of trash in places only a climber would likely ever go. The giant water jug is just one example. And it seems I always find some more fresh trash in these areas every time I come back. So, Castlewood climbers, the vast majority of you are outstanding people... but for the few litter bugs out there, respectfully, chill with that shit.

I wish you all the fullest enjoyment of the beautiful landscapes of Colorado, be safe out there!