Why I Picked Up Trash on the Descent
No one tells you how heavy a plastic bottle feels when you’re already exhausted, knees aching, halfway down a mountain in Himachal. I didn’t plan to collect trash. But every time I passed a candy wrapper or a crushed can, I felt like I was leaving a wound open. So I started picking them up, stuffing them into my pack. It wasn’t heroic. It was uncomfortable, and honestly, I was annoyed at everyone who’d left it behind.
By the time I reached the road, my bag was heavier, my mood was complicated, and the view felt different. I wanted to believe the mountains would heal me. Turns out, sometimes you just carry the mess down yourself.
#TravelReality #LeaveNoTrace #HimalayanTruths #Travel
