Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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My Mount Monadnock Campers' Hike. When I was about 10 or so, driving somewhere with my father and the family, I distinctly remember his verbal disapproval of all the trash thrown out along the highway. Soon thereafter, Massachusetts signs popped up on the roadways Declaring a $1000 fine dispensing trash on the highway's edge. That lesson stuck with me on a field trip during my wonderful Audubon camp activities, Where we learned of the geology as we climbed Mount Monadnock (most climbed in NH). In our backpacks we all carried a lunch enclosed in a brown paper bag. We hiked to the top, the counsellor pointing out geology, flowers, and tree species. At the summit, we perused the sights below and ate our lunches. There were about 20 kids and lots of paper waste accumulated. The question arose: what to do with the trash-- (This item for discussion would never have occurred today!) Our counsellor, I distinctly recall, told us to stuff the bags between a rock crevice. I was horrified and immediately countered with 'We should not do this--it is wrong!' I am not really sure why I was so motivated (Perhaps from my father's outrage with the highway trash), But I organized all the kids to gather the bags, stuff their backpacks, And carry the trash down to be disposed of in parking lot receptacles. There was complete cooperation, overruling the counsellor's instructions-- And that was the beginning of my efforts to support nature for the rest of my life! Frank Maurer 8 July 2024 0600 Hours.