Reflection:
Monday- On Monday it was one of the hardest ones. Even though this hike was only ten miles it was a big shock to my muscles. I had to worked out at the gym previously but I wasn't using the same muscles as I was using while hiking. This hike felt like it just kept going and going. I remember reaching the one shady spot and how amazing it felt. We got to eat lunch in the shade! The hike was based by the Escondido Mall and ended at the Lemon Twist Fruit Stand off Del Dios Highway. After Monday's hike I noticed that I had brought more than enough water.
Tuesday- Learning from Monday I had made a few adjustments to packing. I packed not as much of water than the day before. I also noticed how hot it was so I decided to pack sunscreen and a bunch of ice! But of course Murphy's Law came into play and it was cloudy. Tuesday's hike was fourteen miles long! We started from the Lemon Twist Fruit Stand and ended at the McDonald's in Del Mar. Tuesday's hike wasn't as bad as Monday's but definitely dragged on. The hike wasn't hard but it was very easy to get bored. After Tuesday's hike we played every game that we could think of.
Wednesday- On Wednesday we hiked from Bandy Canyon trailhead to Sikes adobe historic farmstead. Wednesday's hike was probably the most prettiest hike. It was covered in orange groves and palm tree farms. This hike was around ten miles but definitely felt longer. While walking through weeds I had walked through Stinging Nettle. After I walked through it I felt like my leg was burning. About fifteen minutes later big white bumps started to appear. I was told to ignore it and it will go away in twenty minutes. Towards the end of the hike we started going through the mountains. The end of this hike felt like we had ten miles left when we really had two.
Thursday- Thursday's Hike was from Black Canyon road to Upper Santa Ysabel Truck Trail. This hike consisted of twelve miles. This hike had no bathrooms what so ever! Of course this day was one of the hottest which meant you had to drink more water which meant you had to use the non existent bathrooms more.
Friday- On Friday we hiked from Pamo road trailhead to Bandy Canyon. This hike was a very shady. We had a ranger with us and he should us so many cool spots. There were at least three miles of unestablished trails. Which meant we had to crawl and hop. Unfortunately on this hike my foot sliped through two rocks. I ended up leaving early due to a hurt ankle. The highlight of my day was seeing a baby rattlesnake!
Tuesday- On Tuesday my group hiked from Volcan Mountain Julian to Ca 79 Santa Ysabel. I was not able to hike due to my ankle.
Wednesday- On Wednesday I hiked from McDonald's in del mar to the dog beach in Del Mar. This hike was around two miles. On the hike I brought my mom and dog along. It was a simple short hike. After we reached the dog beach we wrote a few reflections and headed home.
The Broken Window Theory
Picture yourself in your backyard. Maybe you have a garden or a pool, or even some nice green grass. Now imagine someone throwing their soda cans, cheetos bags, and more into your clean backyard. How would you feel? I’m guessing not so good, considering you put a lot of effort into your backyard to keep it looking decent.
That is how our towns and cities are beginning to look- even parts that shouldn’t have trash, such as the beaches and trails in San Diego. Not only does it look ‘trashy’ but it isn’t very welcoming to tourists. It affects the life of native plants in the watershed. For example, Del Mar is restoring their native plants by planting two hundred fifty native species. It was polluted by people leaving trash and walking in the restricted areas. This unneeded restoration project could be the first of many in our cities if we don’t clean up our own trash. Not only is it disrespectful to nature, but a waste of money. Throughout the San Dieguito Watershed trail I noticed a good amount of garbage. Particularly on the trails closer to civilization, there were more strewn throughout the roads and path. This begins to hurt our native plants because other animals/insects don’t come back for shelter. These animals and insects are bothered by the trash because it is destroying their natural habitat. If they don't come back for shelter, then plants can not be pollinated or receive other benefits from their tenants.
There is a theory called “The broken window theory”. In 1982, James Q. Wilson, suggested a theory that if there is a building with a few broken windows and the windows are not fixed it advocates to a saboteur that they can break a few more. Eventually if the building is empty they would feel comfortable enough to become squatters. Therefore you should fix the broken windows and take pride in your neighborhood. So, just as windows are to trash, if you don't leave one piece of trash on the trail it won’t be dirty. Even though you might be the only person setting down the trash on the trail, just think about the next thirty people coming by and dropping a small piece of their trash. It starts to add up.
The psychology behind this is that if people are committing ‘petty offenses’, like speeding or illegal parking, and you aren't punished for committing them, then you end up thinking its ok to commit higher offensives. This is how it begins to get trashy and messy.
When trash is littered throughout the trails it affects the plants greatly. If trash is over the plant for more than 3 days it will disintegrate. Now other factors do play into this role, like the sun, how heavy the trash is, what’s it made of, and of course how large the piece of trash is.
In the end I think it would be best if the city informed the public and explained to them how much damage it is causing our environment. Also, I believe putting a few more trash cans throughout the trail can decrease the amount of littering. The reason why I suggest more trash cans, is because people would be more likely to walk the two steps to the trash than hold it for another ten minutes until they run into another one.
Monday- On Monday it was one of the hardest ones. Even though this hike was only ten miles it was a big shock to my muscles. I had to worked out at the gym previously but I wasn't using the same muscles as I was using while hiking. This hike felt like it just kept going and going. I remember reaching the one shady spot and how amazing it felt. We got to eat lunch in the shade! The hike was based by the Escondido Mall and ended at the Lemon Twist Fruit Stand off Del Dios Highway. After Monday's hike I noticed that I had brought more than enough water.
Tuesday- Learning from Monday I had made a few adjustments to packing. I packed not as much of water than the day before. I also noticed how hot it was so I decided to pack sunscreen and a bunch of ice! But of course Murphy's Law came into play and it was cloudy. Tuesday's hike was fourteen miles long! We started from the Lemon Twist Fruit Stand and ended at the McDonald's in Del Mar. Tuesday's hike wasn't as bad as Monday's but definitely dragged on. The hike wasn't hard but it was very easy to get bored. After Tuesday's hike we played every game that we could think of.
Wednesday- On Wednesday we hiked from Bandy Canyon trailhead to Sikes adobe historic farmstead. Wednesday's hike was probably the most prettiest hike. It was covered in orange groves and palm tree farms. This hike was around ten miles but definitely felt longer. While walking through weeds I had walked through Stinging Nettle. After I walked through it I felt like my leg was burning. About fifteen minutes later big white bumps started to appear. I was told to ignore it and it will go away in twenty minutes. Towards the end of the hike we started going through the mountains. The end of this hike felt like we had ten miles left when we really had two.
Thursday- Thursday's Hike was from Black Canyon road to Upper Santa Ysabel Truck Trail. This hike consisted of twelve miles. This hike had no bathrooms what so ever! Of course this day was one of the hottest which meant you had to drink more water which meant you had to use the non existent bathrooms more.
Friday- On Friday we hiked from Pamo road trailhead to Bandy Canyon. This hike was a very shady. We had a ranger with us and he should us so many cool spots. There were at least three miles of unestablished trails. Which meant we had to crawl and hop. Unfortunately on this hike my foot sliped through two rocks. I ended up leaving early due to a hurt ankle. The highlight of my day was seeing a baby rattlesnake!
Tuesday- On Tuesday my group hiked from Volcan Mountain Julian to Ca 79 Santa Ysabel. I was not able to hike due to my ankle.
Wednesday- On Wednesday I hiked from McDonald's in del mar to the dog beach in Del Mar. This hike was around two miles. On the hike I brought my mom and dog along. It was a simple short hike. After we reached the dog beach we wrote a few reflections and headed home.
The Broken Window Theory
Picture yourself in your backyard. Maybe you have a garden or a pool, or even some nice green grass. Now imagine someone throwing their soda cans, cheetos bags, and more into your clean backyard. How would you feel? I’m guessing not so good, considering you put a lot of effort into your backyard to keep it looking decent.
That is how our towns and cities are beginning to look- even parts that shouldn’t have trash, such as the beaches and trails in San Diego. Not only does it look ‘trashy’ but it isn’t very welcoming to tourists. It affects the life of native plants in the watershed. For example, Del Mar is restoring their native plants by planting two hundred fifty native species. It was polluted by people leaving trash and walking in the restricted areas. This unneeded restoration project could be the first of many in our cities if we don’t clean up our own trash. Not only is it disrespectful to nature, but a waste of money. Throughout the San Dieguito Watershed trail I noticed a good amount of garbage. Particularly on the trails closer to civilization, there were more strewn throughout the roads and path. This begins to hurt our native plants because other animals/insects don’t come back for shelter. These animals and insects are bothered by the trash because it is destroying their natural habitat. If they don't come back for shelter, then plants can not be pollinated or receive other benefits from their tenants.
There is a theory called “The broken window theory”. In 1982, James Q. Wilson, suggested a theory that if there is a building with a few broken windows and the windows are not fixed it advocates to a saboteur that they can break a few more. Eventually if the building is empty they would feel comfortable enough to become squatters. Therefore you should fix the broken windows and take pride in your neighborhood. So, just as windows are to trash, if you don't leave one piece of trash on the trail it won’t be dirty. Even though you might be the only person setting down the trash on the trail, just think about the next thirty people coming by and dropping a small piece of their trash. It starts to add up.
The psychology behind this is that if people are committing ‘petty offenses’, like speeding or illegal parking, and you aren't punished for committing them, then you end up thinking its ok to commit higher offensives. This is how it begins to get trashy and messy.
When trash is littered throughout the trails it affects the plants greatly. If trash is over the plant for more than 3 days it will disintegrate. Now other factors do play into this role, like the sun, how heavy the trash is, what’s it made of, and of course how large the piece of trash is.
In the end I think it would be best if the city informed the public and explained to them how much damage it is causing our environment. Also, I believe putting a few more trash cans throughout the trail can decrease the amount of littering. The reason why I suggest more trash cans, is because people would be more likely to walk the two steps to the trash than hold it for another ten minutes until they run into another one.