Other Hikers Left To Clean Up Confetti From Backcountry Celebration On Quandary Peak
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A group allegedly celebrating its first summit of a 14er littered the Quandary Peak trailhead with confetti poppers and walked away, according to witnesses.
"I hope you never do this again," Chasity Groves posted on Facebook Sunday, a day after the incident. "Absolutely unacceptable."
Groves told CBS4 that she and two men in her hiking party heard popping as they descended Quandary Peak late Saturday afternoon. They encountered six to eight people celebrating a few minutes later near the trailhead.
A member of Groves's group approached the celebrants with concerns, she said, and at least two of them went back with a small bag and attempted to pick up the confetti.
"This is how they left it," Groves wrote in her post. Her photos show a wide area of colored paper strips laying along the snow-covered trail.
Her post includes a video of her group attempting to remove confetti from the snow. They worked until dark, but Groves was not satisfied with the results.
"I felt furious, disappointed, frustrated, astounded, and saddened for sure," she told CBS4.
The Quandary is considered one of the easier and more accessible 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado in both winter and summer conditions.
"If just a fraction of the people did that, there would be a ton of litter up there," David Boyd of the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. "Be respectful of the land and other people using it. Pack out anything you take in. "
The Forest Service and national parks promote backcountry behavior with "Tread Lightly" and "Take only pictures, leave only footprints" mantras, and use Leave No Trace principles as general guidance.
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