There’s a pooping problem on Colorado’s 14ers. Here’s what’s being done to help flush it away.
A crusade to combat the proliferation of poop in Colorado’s backcountry entered a new frontier this week with the creation of a “Clean 14” initiative focusing on the state’s iconic 14,000-foot peaks. A kiosk opened Tuesday at the north trailhead to Mount Elbert, the state’s highest peak at 14,437 feet, where hikers can pick up free bags designed to pack out human waste. Bags used on the trail can be left in a receptacle contained in the kiosk, 4,400 feet below the summit. The Clean 14 effort is a partnership involving the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and Pact Outdoors, a Gunnison company that produces the pack-out bags.