On Human Consumption and Forest Litter: A Walk in the Meadowdale Beach Park

When we first arrived at the scene, we did not expect to find nearly as much litter strewn about the trailhead as we had originally believed. Though, to be fair, this was also our first excursion, and thus we did not really know what to expect in the first place. Yet, in spite of our naiveté, we marched onwards down the length of the trail—trash bags and grabbers in hand—hoping to restore order and cleanliness to the woods that had since been tainted by human corruption. Thus, when the minute hand struck half-past nine, we embarked on our valiant journey through the local trail: the Meadowdale Beach Park.

Of course, this is merely an embellishment of our activities. At the core of our efforts, we were simply picking up trash along and around the trail and maintaining elevated heart rates. However, we were truly shocked by the amount of litter, both human and animal, that we were able to gather during our hike. I myself remember encountering so many empty plastic water bottles along the trail that even now, it's difficult to recall just how many of those we found along the main trail. Below are some of the collective observations regarding our experiences on this trail. 

Winding Paths and a Fresh Breath of Sea Breeze

Perhaps the second most popular location with beach access in the greater Edmonds area, the first being the Marina Beach Park, Meadowdale Beach Park sees a regular flow of visitors who take the milelong trek through the woods and down to the waterfront. Unlike Marina Beach Park, which is located at the heart of downtown Edmonds, Meadowdale Beach Park resides within a residential area, allowing nearby residents easy access to Puget Sound. Despite this, parking is limited to a single lot; therefore, it is recommended that one arrive prior to noon should they wish to reserve a parking space.

To the inexperienced, Meadowdale Beach Park may prove a challenge due to its gradual decline in elevation as the trail progresses. Although this may not be a problem when entering the trail, upon returning from the beach, the burden of hiking back up the trail demands some endurance. This was especially the case for our group, for we had to carry several large bags of trash to the top of the trail upon returning from the beach. However, I doubt that the average hiker will be carrying large bags full of litter with them along the trail, so this shouldn't be too much of an issue for the youthful adventurer.

A Hill to Climb, a Mountain of Trash

That being said, although the beach access was nice, the amount of litter that we found on the trail was not quite as pleasant. As mentioned briefly in the introduction, some of the most common pieces of litter that we found were plastic water bottles. In fact, I believe that we found a whopping 27 bottles strewn about the trail in total, which could have been the result of an accumulation over time and lack of trail maintenance. Additionally, we also managed to find a hard, plastic water bottle that someone had either lost or discarded in a bush near the trailhead. As a polite reminder, the number of plastic water bottles that we had found does not include any bottles that we may have overlooked, which means that there could have been even more bottles on the trail than we had counted. Even so, the fact that such a large number of water bottles were present when we scoured the trail indicates that hikers should make a greater effort to hold on to their litter until the next available waste receptacle. 

Another common type of litter we found on the trail was bagged dog excretion, or in blunter terms, dog poop bags. While there are several schools of thought regarding the proper manner with which to dispose of dog poop, with some advocating for waiting for trash bins and others recommending burial so long as it's stored in a biodegradable baggy, it is hard to ignore bags of dog poop on trails when they're discarded in the most blatantly haphazard manner possible. That is to say, it is difficult to enjoy the sights that a trail has to offer when there are brightly colored bags of dog poop strewn along the path caught in the branches of dead bushes.   

Even stranger was the discovery of clothes and a used car battery toward the middle section of the trail. We have no idea how it might have ended up there, but reason points toward humans as the sole perpetrator. It was like one of those scenes in a movie about galactic exploration of an ancient, antiquated civilization, only rather than landing on a planet plagued by desert storms, we were walking along a popular trail in Edmonds, Washington. That is to say, please do not dispose of your car batteries at Meadowdale Beach Park, nor any other trail for that matter. Laziness is not an excuse for tainting nature's beauty with peculiar manmade relics.

Although there weren't any trash cans placed along the trail—which could be attributed to the fact that the trail was only readily accessible at its head and at the lower beach—, there were certainly bins available at the trailhead and down by the beach. Thus, in the betterment of Meadowdale Beach Park, we urge that hikers, and dog owners, in particular, resist the temptation to simply dispose of litter along the trail instead of waiting until the next trash can. One might think that it's okay to throw away a small piece of trash because it's a "one-time thing," but if everyone were to do the same as well, then soon enough, the impact on the environment would become apparent.

For the Betterment of Mankind...and Trails

Sometimes in life, you just want to go outside and take in the fresh air. A sense of adventure burns deep within you, and soon enough, your feet take you down a trail in search of some much-needed excitement from your mundane life. Though no matter how hard you try, you can never escape those bags of dog poop, which continue to haunt you like a restless spirit seeking revenge on the living.

I'm certain that Mother Nature would frown upon the world if she discovered how much litter we found at Meadowdale Beach Park that day. Jokes aside, it was a slight disappointment to find so much trash on the trail, but regardless, we have hopes that people will learn to pick up after themselves while hiking. Trails are like nature’s works of art; like paintings in a museum, we should respect the value that they offer to us by maintaining a clean space for everyone to enjoy.

We hope that you continue to follow us in the next hike!

Click here for more photos from this hike!