Over the last few months, I have observed an unsettling trend of people using the sides of trails as latrines. I, too, am an avid outdoors person and often spend hours in nature mountain biking and hiking and understand it may be necessary to attend to personal needs. But there really is no excuse for stepping barely a foot off the trail and leaving tissue exposed!
In doing so, one’s personal needs become everyone’s business. My reasoning is that these people in question would not want someone just coming into their backyard to use the bathroom and leaving paper in random spots. And yet, these public trails such as the Mountain to Sea trail, are everyone’s backyard.
In addition to unsightly distractions, many of us have dogs that we hike, bike and run with and well, dogs will be dogs in wanting to investigate and get into things that are not always in their best interest. It just becomes a “thing” no matter how you want to address it. We all appreciate the beauty and freedom of these wide-open spaces, but it’s equally important to be mindful of the village. Enjoy nature along with the many who are blessed and fortunate to live here, but be THOUGHTFUL, better yet, be CONSCIOUS! Keep your private business private by taking that activity at least 15 yards off trail and covered up! We must work together to love the trails in a way that works for everyone!
DeAnne Hampton
Asheville
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