The only way to approach picking up trash at the Colorado River Refuge is with the same mentality of a Zen monk making a sand mandala – you have to remember it’s about impermanence . . . the result just won’t last very long.
The process of picking up trash is exactly the opposite process of making a sand mandala – instead of putting together something elaborate, you’re taking away as much as you can to reveal what’s underneath. It’s shocking how calming it is to see a few dozen yards of bare ground after picking up chip bags, broken glass, sticks, plastic cups, trial size Scope bottles (somebody was hurting for a high), flyers and circulars, old McDonald’s coffee cups, and even what appeared to be a pork chop.
Once I was done picking up trash along the picnic and launching area I went back to my truck for a rest break. When I stepped out of the truck after my break I found that a gum wrapper had already blown into the patch I had just cleared between my truck and the dumpster. I picked it up and headed for the dumpster . . . having decided that I wanted things to stay pristine just a few minutes longer.