SNOW REVELERS LEAVE MESS BEHIND
Visitors flock to mountains and fail to take out their trash
JULIAN
Residents of Julian, Mount Laguna and the Cleveland National Forest are asking people who visit the mountain areas to revel in the snow to do what the signs say: “Pack it in, Pack it out.”
Photos shared by the U.S. Forest Service over the past few days show dirty public restrooms, toppled trash cans, and boxes, bags and broken sleds left behind, apparently by visitors who came to play in the region's higher elevations last week.
On Monday, Julian resident Virginia Duval picked up five bags of trash along state Route 79, near a popular hill for sledding in the area. The trash she collected was spread over several acres of land, and she recounted some of her findings.
“I picked up masks galore, tons of latex gloves (why?), food wrappers, empty water bottles and a bunch of broken beer bottles,” Duval said. “Oh yeah... and a bunch of broken sleds.”
It's not new, but locals say more and more people are venturing out to the backcountry because of COVID-19 restrictions that have shuttered other sites in more urban areas. Rami Abdel of the San Diego Backcountry Visitors Bureau said that the aftermaths of snow days is an ongoing challenge that hit a new high in 2020 and doesn't appear to be leveling off anytime soon.
He said first-time visitors are often unfamiliar with mountain and snow etiquette — such as staying off private land, parking in designated areas and taking trash with them.
Several locals who are part of the Julian Connection Facebook group page reported that during last week's snowfall, people used their front lawns as areas to recreate. Several said visitors did not heed specific “No Trespassing ” signs, and some said they had to yell at
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