Trashed

Mineral Basin Road

On Thursday I decided to get my daily run up American Fork Canyon.  I had a heck of a time deciding where to go.  After working through lunch and leaving early I headed out from work in the late afternoon.  As I headed up the canyon I had narrowed my choice to two different places. The ever popular Timpanooke trail head or something simpler up the dirt road from Tibble to Mineral Basin.  I decided that some place that could be a bit quieter might be nice, maybe I would try for Pittsburgh Lake this time.  So I took the road to Tibble.  When I arrived, the parking lot was very sparse with only a few people fishing at Tibble.

Lately I have been reading a copy of The Lady in the Ore Bucket by Charles L Keller. The book is a history of the canyons in Salt Lake County.  Specifically the Mill Creek, Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.  It discusses the settlement and subsequent industrialization of the canyons by timber and mining companies.  I have always been interested in the different aspects of history, especially when it comes to the more wild areas of Utah.  When running along and noticing something that doesn't conform with nature, my imagination will often get the best of me.

Steam Engine and Equipment, Prince of Whales Mine, BCC

I love venturing to the different spots and finding things that I can tell my kids about.  Something that is historic that captures their imaginations.  Sometimes its abandoned mines and shafts, others are old logging roads that lead to places unknown.  Sometimes its just the knowledge that something used to be right where I was standing and nature has since reclaimed it.  Its like being a kid again and getting to know a world you know nothing about.

Forrest City

As you come up the dirt road it soon becomes apparent that there was something here long before.  The canyon starts out climbing up and before too long you reach the turn off for Mary Ellen Gulch.  Mary Ellen Gulch was one of the main access routes to the mines on Miller Hill.  Soon after you come to a large flat.  This flat used to be home to Forrest City a bustling town servicing the miners and the small rail road that went up American Fork Canyon.  The only thing that remains is a recovered tailings pile, mine foundations and some signs erected by the Forrest Service.

Ore bins, Pacific Mine

Mine Cart, Pacific Mine

Heading farther up the canyon you soon come up to the remains of the old Pacific Mine in Mineral Fork.  The first things that you notice is that there has been a great deal of work in recovering the surrounding area in an attempt to control runoff from the tailings pile.  Even with all this work however there is still a fair amount of runoff that shows traces of the heavy metals.  Part of the area is now covered by a beaver pond which almost hides some of the traces of what lies below.

Reclaimed area, Devils Castle in upper left the background.

I made my way over to the Pittsburgh Lake trail head and I realized time had gotten away from me.  I decided to turn back and leave the lake for another day.  Heading back down toward the Pacific Mine I took the upper road in the canyon.  It was one that I had always wanted to take.  It had some spectacular views and provided yet another perspective on the canyon below.

After joining the main road just below Forrest City I decided to pick up the pace and head down the canyon.  Heading down I saw more hunters on 4-wheelers and other people just out enjoying the mountains.  Most people are very curious and friendly when meeting someone else in the mountains. This was the case with these people. But that however was going to change.

Just before the split rock on the road I could hear a large convoy of ATV's coming.  From the sounds of it they were moving fast.  The initial few slowed and were very nice, but that is where it all ended.  As one after another came up the road, more and more dust started to fill the air.  I tried to move as far off the road as possible but there was no where to go.  Just then a dirt bike came by with the group and sped up as it came past me showering me with more dirt and rock.  I got mad.  Yelling at the last few as they sped past me.

The inconsiderateness of it all just got to me.  Coughing and stumbling trying to see my way down the road I kicked something in my way.  There it was, a half full plastic water bottle that looked fairly new. I knew it probably didn't belong to those people on the ATV's but at that moment it didn't matter.  I started to get angry at just the sight of the trash on the road.  I wanted to hunt them back down and throw it at them.  It didn't matter, I knew I couldn't catch them.  And besides what else was I going to do pack all the trash in the canyon down?

I stuffed water bottle in my pack and started down.  Soon I ran into another just like it.  So I did what any sane person would do and shoved it into my pack.   Side note: The sanity of the path that I was on is very debatable at this point, but I started to pick up more and more bottles.  I soon grasped the reality of the situation.  I couldn't clean up the entire canyon full of trash, could I?  So I decided to go small. The rule of the game then became: Only plastic bottles that were on my side of the road and had to be directly in front of me.  Simple right?  Should have also been very manageable.....  So I thought.  By the end of the run my pack was full and my hands were cramping and I couldn't even manage a run with out dropping something.

In the end did I feel better?  No not really, it just proved to me that people really don't care about the beautiful places we live in.  I had to leave so much trash behind just to get out what I could.  I hope that people can remember the precious places that we live in.  While its fun, we have to be considerate of the future generations that will use our canyons.  We need to think differently than our ancestors and set a higher example.  

Ok I'm done, end rant.