One Piece of Trash
By Jennifer Pharr Davis
What do you do when you see an energy bar wrapper on the trail? What about when you approach a road crossing and find more trash? Or when you cross a river with an empty six pack along the bank?
Some days I have plenty of time and a mostly-empty pack, so I pick up more. Other times I am on a trail run for twenty minutes and I breeze by. But most of the time I’m on the trail, I try to pick up one piece of trash.
This practice started when I first thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2005. The trail is mostly clean and well-kept, but sometimes hikers accidentally drop a wrapper or don’t realize that orange peels don't immediately disintegrate, and it is common to find litter along roadsides or heavily used waterways. I knew that I couldn’t pick up every piece of trash between Georgia and Maine (Although some people have tried). But, I figured if I picked up one piece of trash, and if every other hiker picked up one piece of trash, then the trail would be clean.
This past week, Blue Ridge Hiking Company donated 15% of Friday sales to relief efforts in Ukraine. We raised around $250. Our team voted on the non-profit to receive these funds and the vote was split between Doctors without Borders and World Central Kitchen. When we split our total and made the donations, it didn’t feel like much.
Then, this morning, we received an email from one of our favorite gear companies, Sawyer, announcing that they have donated 10,000 water filtration systems to Ukraine. And while 10,000 water filters is a much bigger drop in the bucket than 250 bucks (Thank you, Sawyer) - I was reminded that no individual person or organization or government will be able to solve the world’s problems by acting alone.
Sawyer’s contribution felt connected to our efforts and reaffirmed the idea that if everyone tries to do something good… if everyone picks up one piece of trash, if everyone makes a contribution that feels right and reasonable for their place in life, and if people let go of the lie that it’s too late and there’s nothing we can do… then it can - and it will - make a world of difference.
October 28, 2024
Jennifer Pharr Davis
Jennifer Pharr Davis is an internationally recognized adventurer, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who has hiked more than 14,000 miles of trails on six different continents.
In 2011 she set the overall fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail by finishing the 2,185-mile foot path in 46 days (an average of 47 miles a day). And she hasn't slowed down since.
Jennifer has backpacked 700 miles pregnant, walked across North Carolina while nursing her newborn son, and hiked in all 50 states with her two-year-old daughter.
She is a member of the President’s Council of Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, was featured in the 2020 IMAX film Into America’s Wild, and served on the board of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Jennifer is truly a force of nature. But what excites her most is introducing people to the life-changing opportunities that nature provides.
Explore More Content
Media Mentions
Much of his work centers around telling stories of underserved voices. He documents indigenous stories, especially up in the Arctic, and stories from the BIPOC community that revolve around their connection to the outdoors.
.jpg)
Media Mentions
Get clean water during your adventures with this ultralight filter that removes 99.99999% of bacteria such as salmonella, cholera, leptospirosis, and e. Coli. It also removes 99.99999% of protozoa!
Media Mentions
Its a project where residents are given buckets that connect with water filter, a Sawyer PointONE model, that is designed to last over 20 years, effectively removing harmful bacteria, parasites, and protozoa.
From the Squad
Campfire conversations with our community, from Squad Members and Ambassadors to Brand Partners and the Sawyer team.
