There's been a little bit of controversy in the canyoning community over the last few days over an incident in Claustral Canyon relating to a couple abandoned packs. It has sparked a whole lot of discussion, both about this incident, and more broadly what the best course of action should be. I figured it was worth extending this discussion to the broader bushwalking community given it naturally impacts on us all. In particular, when there are rescues packs are often left behind. While the owner should retrieve them, they often don't, leaving them in wilderness areas, often far from access points. While the Bushwalkers Code touches on the issue (it says: "If you find litter left by irresponsible people along the track or around a campsite, please remove it. Show you care for the environment, even if others don’t."), there are also a lot of grey areas. Below are the key elements of the discussion, and my thoughts and questions for others.
The incident: (If you want more context you can see the full trip report here: http://fatcanyoners.org/2014/02/08/claustral-at-night/)
After a while we met a large group of nine Sydney Bush Walkers who had done Explorers Brook the day before, camped there and were now about to exit via Rainbow Ravine. We continued a bit further down from there and then Kristian spotted something he first thought could be some exceptionally large fungus. Upon getting closer we realised it was by far of natural origin, but littered bushwalking gear. There were two day packs and all around them some items of clothing and most prominently quite some first aid gear including a space blanket. The fungus was one of those cheap rain ponchos. It was made “waterproof” using lots of freezer bags and didn’t strike us as typical canyoning gear.
We started wondering what might have happened and tried to remember whether we heard of any recent rescue in this area. It really seemed to be left behind when a party that was in trouble finally got rescued. We then decided to pack everything into the backpacks and lug it out with us to dispose of it properly once we were back in civilisation.
When we finally reached the top of Camels Hump we bumped into the Sydney Bush Walkers group again and when we told them about what we’ve found in the canyon, they told us they saw the packs as well. But not only that. They also told us that the two packs were still properly packed which everything inside the packs when they arrived. It was them who unpacked everything and spread it out to see if there was anything useful inside. We were speechless and afterwards thought we might have misunderstood them.
We continued to Camels Saddle and down into Claustral and then detoured to retrieve the head torch we lost the previous night. But unfortunately, the water was still cloudy and we couldn’t properly see the ground. After several more attempts to dive and find the torch by touch we had to give up and returned back to the car.
There we saw the Sydney Bush Walkers once again and brought up the issue with the rubbish again. It seemed they didn’t see anything wrong in not only neglecting to carry out the rubbish from a wilderness area, but instead making it worse by spreading out everything to get washed away and eaten by animals separately. The only response that we got was simply that that this was our view and that we were entitled to it. Then they drove off.
Following this, we had a longish discussion about the rubbish issue in the car back to Sydney and I’d like to share some of the thoughts we had here.
We believe it is everyone’s responsibility in the bush to carry out the rubbish they find wherever possible. This is especially true for wilderness areas that are far enough away from road and popular tourist access so about everything you find in there was carried in by someone in the first place and the lost/dumped/forgotten. Sure, one could say “I don’t litter therefore I don’t carry out other people’s stuff”. But let’s be honest: everyone has lost something in the bush before. Something might have been forgotten at camp. Or at the windy lunch spot it was blown down the cliff. There is the notorious muesli bar wrapper that disappeared from your pockets while walking. Or the animal that nicked something overnight. How many of us have lost (or found) gloves in canyons before. Or in our case a head torch got lost. I doubt any regular bushwalker can truly claim his party never littered in the bush. To make up for it, the least we can do is carry out the rubbish we find.
Apart from this obligation, it is also in all of our interest that the bush is clean. Nobody likes stumbling across rubbish. But if we do and carry it out, the next person will have a better experience. Just assume that were you walked before has been rubbish as well but another party removed it for you when they passed through. This way everyone benefits.
Sure, there are situations where it isn’t possible to take with you what you found. If you are, say, on day one of a hard six day hike with a small group and stumble over a heavy load trash, everyone understands that you can’t take it. But then leave it in a state where it does the least harm. Maybe you can even put it somewhere safe and pick it up on the last day. But here they were a group of nine people on their final leg of the trip. So it seems hard to justify that it wasn’t possible for them to split up the small packs between them and carry them out.
But certainly it does not seem appropriate to spread out everything that was inside the pack. By doing this, animals drag away and eat the individual pieces. Wind and water washes away every bit individually. And you’re also making it a lot harder for the next party to carry it out because that group has to collect everything first instead of just packing the whole packs. If you spread it out like this, you might as well have dumped it there in the first place.
And last but not least, this is not just our view, but it is also established in the Bushwalkers Code, which is not just written by us but in fact it was produced by Bushwalking NSW (formerly Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW).
The response from the SBW trip leader: (A full discussion thread can be found here: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/OzC ... pics/16291)
I was the leader of the other group in Helen’s post, I’d like to offer some commentary to Helen and Kosta’s comments.
I've been climbing, bushwalking and canyoning in the Blue Mountains for 11 years , I’ve visited 300+ different canyons and am passionate about protecting our bush and wilderness. I always carry out rubbish and practice minimal impact bushwalking, however, Sunday’s circumstances were different. This incident is very embarrassing and has upset me dearly.
The Packs in Carmarthen Brook
* I was the first person to the packs, noticing the same first aid kit that Helen noted.
* The packs were partly hidden under logs/branches/dirt suggesting they had been there a while.
* The packs were already open with several items surrounding.
* Yes, we inspected the packs for valuables to hand to police, none were present.
* Yes, we failed to repack the items, meaning we left the scene worse than we found it. That was a mistake that I deeply regret.
* As leader, I decided the group wasn't strong enough to carry the rubbish out.
My SBW Group
The group had a wide range of experience and ability, from 300+ canyons to just 2. We had an 8.5 hour day on Saturday, had already been going 4 hours on Sunday with potential for 7 more. All that with water-logged full w/e packs, some found that challenging, but just a normal w/e for me:
* However, I lost the use of my left hand on Saturday in a fall. Through that, I didn't have my usual balance and didn't feel strong enough to carry the rubbish out.
* The 2nd strongest party member had a knee injury.
* That meant members 3, 4 & 5 had to carry the group gear and ropes.
* Members 8 & 9 were exhausted and couldn’t keep-up.
* That left only 6 & 7 with capacity to carry the rubbish out, I didn't feel they were capable of that.
We were behind schedule at this point. Once the party re-grouped, we immediately left the packs to keep the group moving, I was entirely focused on getting the group out of the canyon, forgetting to repack the gear into the packs to tidy the scene. That was my mistake and I’m responsible for that which I regret.
Helen & Kosta’s group
I don’t know the group so can’t gauge how they’d rank compared to ours, but Helen’s group was certainly younger than ours, and probably stronger and fitter too. Helen’s group had exerted significantly less effort at that point, and were not carrying packs.
The Leaders’ Decision
Given the circumstances, Helen and Kosta’s decision was a very different proposition to mine:
* Helen & Kosta’s group were fresher, probably stronger, and weren't carrying packs. They could share the load of 2 packs between 4 for the return journey to Rainbow Ravine before making a further decision on the rubbish.
* My group was behind-schedule, tired and carrying water-logged full w/e packs. Just 1 or 2kg extra can be significant.
I’m not a natural leader and the burden weighs heavy on me. Helen and Kosta noted that they thought we had sufficient capacity to carry the rubbish out. Maybe I underestimated my team? Maybe we could’ve carried the rubbish out without causing a problem to the team? I made the decision that the team wasn't strong enough to carry the rubbish out. My group did get out safely without requiring rescue which is paramount.
The completion of our trip
6 of the group were too tired to complete the trip as planned, so exited early following a 2 hour rest. I lead 2 members through Gaping Gill to complete the trip.
Yes, I felt strong enough to complete Gaping Gill without the w/e pack, but didn't feel strong enough (or have the balance) to carry extra weight up Rainbow Ravine - I found it very challenging with only 1 working hand, not sure how I’d fair with extra weight in my pack.
Discussions between the 2 groups
I wasn't present at either discussion so have no knowledge of what was discussed or expressed.
Summary
* Yes, we must all look after the environment and carry out rubbish that we find.
* Yes, my group should’ve repacked the gear into the packs to tidy the scene. That was my mistake and I apologise.
* However, I don’t believe our group had sufficient capacity to carry the rubbish out.
* Thank you Helen, Kosta and team for removing the rubbish.
* I think it’s worth re-emphasising that we didn't put the rubbish in the canyon, we just failed to remove it because we weren't capable of doing so.
Sydney Bushwalkers
SBW has a long and proud history and is the oldest outdoor club in NSW. This incident has caused great embarrassment to the committee and club members. I have expressed my sincere apologies to the committee for this negative publicity and have offered them to annul my membership if they deem appropriate.
Had I not injured my hand on Saturday, this story wouldn't exist…
Richard.
I had been through the same canyon as Richard's group about five weeks ago (Burumin Canyon / Explorers Brook), and reversed up Thunder Gorge as they did. I didn't see the packs, although there was signs of fresh damage caused by a helicopter extraction at the normal Claustral exit (50m downstream of Rainbow Ravine). I'm not sure if I missed them, or they only appeared at some point in the last five weeks.
As it was, my group removed a whole lot of crap from lower Thunder Gorge. Everything from seatbelt webbing, old handlines, unrated rope, cut slings, and even the waist belt from a pack. Needless to say my overnight pack was bulging by the end! Unfortunately, such popular canyons upstream mean a lot of rubbish washing downstream. Few people seem to visit the lower gorge, so not much gets packed out. In contrast, we found no rubbish in Burumin, and only one old sling in the section of King Georges Brook we reversed.
From my point of view, the issue of people abandoning things in the bush when they simply don't want to carry them does seem to be getting worse. I'm now up to three pack rafts that have been lugged out of the Colo on trips over the last year or two. Those things are heavy, especially when half full of sand and water. It seems some people punch a hole in them, then decide they'll simply stash it in the bush (at best) or abandon it on a beach to be washed further away. I've also found the box for a brand new foot pump -- why you'd carry that to the river then leave it I don't know!
Personally, if you have any capacity (Richard admitted two fit members of the party still) then I think you should at least carry some of the waste out, lessening what is left behind for others. Leaving stuff spread around just means it will be easier for animals or rain to spread the garbage further.
Rubbish also tends to multiply. In the same way I have heard people justify doing graffiti in a cave because there was already some there, I fear some people are more likely to dump rubbish or gear they don't want to carry if they see stuff lying around and assume it is acceptable.
There is one interesting counter-point to this that I simply hadn't thought of. I'll include Caro's thoughts on it directly:
One other reason to leave stuff alone (and this is with my http://www.bwrs.org.au hat on), is if there is any chance it could be evidence from a missing person or crime. In which case, best to:
- don't touch anything or disturb the area
- only let one person approach and handle (gloves or stick) if necessary to determine what it is
- that person retreats from the same way they approached and make note of that track
- Take a GPS waypoint. Be aware that if you take photos and/or video you may lose your card to the police if it is a crime or serious.
- if chance of animal disturbance try to protect the scene (eg tarps)
- May be necessary to leave person to protect scene (from animals or other punters) until Police arrive
- call local police immediately when in phone range and tell them everything... They will tell you what to do next.
It has happened that Bushwalkers come across all sorts of things in the bush, so handy to know what to do if it happens to you.
So what does everyone think? What do you do in similar situations? At what point is the risk to your group (from added weight / bulk in packs) greater than the need to remove rubbish from wilderness areas? And how can you tell when something should be left behind for the authorities?
