I’ve always believed that hiking is more than just an adventure. It’s a reset button. A way to breathe, disconnect, and reconnect with something bigger than myself. There’s nothing like the feeling of standing on a trail, surrounded by trees, with fresh air filling your lungs.
But my recent hike at Spartan Trail? It left me with a heavy heart.
This place has always been one of my favorites in the city, but it’s changing, and not in a good way. The path to Langgitan Falls is now littered with trash. Food wrappers, plastic bottles, even used sanitary napkins. And to top it off, someone thought it was a great idea to vandalize one of the boulders near the falls.
I don’t get it. If you love the outdoors enough to go hiking, shouldn’t you love it enough to take care of it?
My friends and I couldn’t just leave it like that. Luckily, he brought some garbage bags, and in just one trip, we managed to collect five full bags of trash and carried them all the way to Pamutan for proper disposal. But that’s just a drop in the bucket. Because the truth is, if people don’t change their habits, the trash will just keep piling up.
I saw a post the other day, someone had shared a picture of a sunscreen bottle left on the trail. I assumed they picked it up, but when we got there? The same bottle was still there, untouched. If you have time to take a photo, you have time to pick it up.
This isn’t about being a "clean-up crew" for irresponsible hikers. It’s about respect. If you can bring your snacks, your energy drinks, your fancy hiking gear up the mountain, you can bring your trash back down.
If you can’t do that, then maybe the trail isn’t for you.
But I still believe we can do better. And that’s why we’ve decided to start a new habit, and that’s bringing garbage bags on every hike and picking up trash along the way. It’s a small thing, but imagine if more people did the same?
At the end of the day, nature doesn’t need us. But we need nature.
So if you love the outdoors, prove it. Leave no trace. Pick up after yourself. And leave the trails better than you found them.
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All photos were taken by me and my friends.