Ranger finds poop bag every 466 feet (or 2.5 minutes of hiking) on Colorado trail + a poop bag tip

A Jefferson County park ranger reports collecting 17 bags of dog poop along a 1.5-mile stretch of trail, presumably at Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen, Colorado. That's roughly one poop bag per every 466 feet of trail. Or – in terms of time, that's one poop bag for every 2.5 minutes of hiking at a 30-minute-mile pace.

The ranger, Jason, also pointed out how people will hide the bags over bringing them along to dispose of properly.

Unfortunately, poop bags are a common sight along many popular trails around the state, and there's one big reason why – no one likes hiking while surrounded by the scent of their dog's poop. But, that doesn't mean it's cool to leave the poop behind on the trail, either (read more about how this can damage the landscape here).

One great trick for hikers with dogs is to bring a second, larger bag with a better seal along for the trek. This way, once a poop bag is collected, it can be tucked away without the smells. Toss a dryer sheet in there, too – eventually, you'll probably have to open that bag again.

One bag that can work great is a gallon-size Ziploc bag with the slider.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was published on April 1, but this is not an April Fools' Day piece. We published two 'prank' pieces already and are sticking to that. They're somewhere on our website, but you'll have to look around to find them. They're marked with a footer similar to this one. Happy hunting!

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