Isn’t this a gorgeous sight? This is the Welch Ditch Trail, the third and western-most of the three bridges that cross Clear Creek between the Gateway Segment Trailhead and the Tunnel One Trailhead.

Recently, Miss Mountain Manners was walking the Clear Creek Gateway Segment Trail, and what a beautiful experience that was. She was just past the Tough Cuss Bridge (the middle bridge), when she ran into this:

Miss Mountain Manners wants to thank the person who did 2/3 of “the right thing”. First, that person brought their own poo bag (poo bags provided at the Trailhead that day were bright orange). Next, that person bagged their puppy’s poo. But then Miss Mountain Manners got confused: why leave the poo bag on the trail? Why not carry it out?

I know what some of you are thinking — that person left the bag and was going to pick it up on the way back. Turns out, that was not the case — this trail is out and back again. Miss Mountain Manners decided to give this person the benefit of the doubt and walked all the way to trail’s end, but did not see anyone walking a dog. Sadly, this poo bag was left behind for the Poop Fairy to collect.

Miss Mountain Manners has news for this person: THERE IS NO POOP FAIRY. Two-thirds of “the right thing” is a good start; next time let’s take it all the way to the finish line and carry it out! Leave no trace; pack it in, pack it out!

Poo bags abandoned along trails are a persistent problem in almost all our Open Space Parks. Miss Mountain Manners should be grateful that most of our visitors do bag their pup’s poo and indeed, pack it out (kudos to the several puppy-walkers she saw with poo bags on their belts), but it’s truly discouraging that some dog-people cannot be bothered to carry out their bags — or even to bag the poo, but that’s another topic for another day.

Miss Mountain Manners was in for another surprise. Continuing on, just west of the Welch Ditch Bridge she found that someone had left behind a pair of stinky socks, hung on one of the wire fence rails.  To the young man who left those behind, did you really think that the Sock Fairy was going to wash them and darn the hole in the toe for you? Did you not have a pocket to stuff them in so you could carry them out? Leave no trace; pack it in, pack it out!

By the time Miss Mountain Manners got back to the Gateway Segment Trailhead, she was glad for all the very polite and well-behaved Visitors she’d encountered (although she wasn’t sure that letting an 8-year walk along the top of the stone walls was a good idea!). She hopes that Visitors who walk or hike with their pups will be more mindful of their behaviour — after all, if your pup had an “accident” in a friend’s house, surely you’d clean up after your fur-baby, wouldn’t you? Our Open Space Parks are home to the wild things who live there, and we should respect that. Leave no trace; pack it in, pack it out!

As to that young man who left his socks hanging on the fence rail, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?

Miss Mountain Manners wants to let everyone at JeffCo Open Space know how proud we at PLAN Jeffco are of the terrific work that they’re doing. The next time you’re in one of our Parks and you see a JCOS Staffer or Volunteer, introduce yourself and say, “thank you”.

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