Leaving it better than you found it

Trail & dispersed campsite cleanup in the Chattahoochee National Forest

This past weekend we traveled over to the North Georgia area near Elijay, Ga for a trail clean up organized by RedWolf Trash Crew (@redwolftrashcrew on IG) Austin, founder and organizer of the event, has a passion for what I have preached endlessly on my podcast. Leave it better than you found it! This event was very well organized. He communicated very well in the weeks leading up to the event. From outlining the schedule, objectives and location coordinates, Austin did a great job planning this event. I would highly recommend you check his website out. Regardless of where you live, he can help you organize and plan your own local event.

We met up at one of the many apple orchards in the area, R & A Orchards, just outside of Elijay on Hwy 52 East. There we picked up fried pies, pork rinds, etc. before meeting in the parking lot to discuss the plans for the day. We started off on Old Bucktown Rd trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest. We stopped at several places to pick up trash on the side of the trail. Bucktown Rd ends at Nimblewill Gap Rd where the Appalachian Approach Trail crosses. This area was a winter wonderland with ice crystals on the underbrush as well as the tree canopy above. After a short break, we continued down Nimblewill Gap. We passed several dispersed campsites that had a good bit of trash. Everyone hopped out of their rig and proceeded to canvas the area for trash. We did this several times as we made our way down the mountain and to the Bull Mountain area where we would wrap up our day with a quick snack and raffle. Austin put together a great group of sponsors for the event and had some really cool things to raffle off.

In all I would guess we picked up 175-200 lbs of trash, plus a full set of all terrain tires and several pieces of vinyl siding. There were 6 rigs (3 Jeeps lol) and 10 participants and two doggies. We had a blast. It was a great reminder that when you gather together, with likeminded individuals, you can accomplish anything.

-Kevin