Hikers picking up trash
Love sports, love this beautiful scenery even more. Hikers climb Qianshan Mountain every week, but the increasing amount of trash along the way has left them helpless. Recently, over 20 hikers from Anshan organized themselves as environmental volunteers. While hiking along the Qianshan Mountain range, they picked up trash as they climbed, collecting over 100 kilograms in just half a day. Their actions have also been commended and affirmed by online users.
On the morning of the 3rd at 9 a.m., over 20 outdoor-loving hikers organized via a QQ group gathered near the main entrance of Qianshan Mountain, ready to go hiking together. But this time, they brought something extra—plastic garbage bags. They planned to pick up trash along the mountain as they hiked. From 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., as they climbed, they kept an eye on the trails and picked up any litter they saw, putting it straight into the bags. By the end of the day, the hikers had scaled three peaks. “We took turns carrying the trash bags, picking up as much as we could,” said Ms. Liu. The over 20 hikers collected seven large bags of trash along the way, each weighing around 15 kilograms, totaling over 100 kilograms. Despite heavy rain that day, the hikers persevered and carried all the trash down the mountain to the recycling point.
“There’s more and more trash on the mountain these days,” said Ms. Liu, one of the hikers. She has been hiking for over five years, mostly around Qianshan. “Qianshan is the most beautiful mountain in Northeast China, with unique rocks and stunning scenery—it’s perfect for hikers.” Ms. Liu explained that Qianshan attracts hikers from all over every day, and it’s common to see groups of 200 or more climbing together. However, as the number of visitors has grown, so has the trash—food wrappers, liquor bottles, and plastic water bottles are increasingly scattered across the mountain. “Our Qianshan is so beautiful, but this trash really takes away from the view,” she said.
In the past, hikers would only occasionally pick up small amounts of trash on their own, but individual efforts were far from enough to solve the problem. In recent years, however, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of protecting the mountains and a stronger environmental consciousness. Many hikers have become environmental volunteers. Some larger hiking groups have even formed teams of over 100 volunteers who regularly go into the mountains to collect trash. Additionally, many hiking teams have started hanging homemade environmental protection signs in prominent spots on the mountain, encouraging fellow hikers to help protect the beautiful Qianshan.