Used tampon left on the first ledge of a classic 5.9 multi at smith

Like seriously what the hell just lower off if it’s that important. This should go without  saying pack your shit out!

Josiah Alexander wrote:

Like seriously what the hell just lower off if it’s that important. This should go without  saying pack your shit out!

Don't automatically assume the person who used it left it there. Consider what tampons are for, then also consider how attractive they are to any critter with an interest in blood. More than a few of us had to guard against our own pets raiding the bathroom trash cans BITD. Simmer down. Would you get this fired up over a pork chop bone? No, it doesn't belong there. Wrap some climbing tape around it and pack it out. Sheesh.

Yes, pack out what you pack in. This goes for tampons, tp, beer cans, food wrappers, tape.... everything.

But your first sentence: “Like seriously what the hell just lower off if it’s that important.”
What are you trying to say here? What does lowering off have to do with packing out your trash?

Josiah Alexander wrote:

Like seriously what the hell just lower off if it’s that important. This should go without  saying pack your shit out!

Did you do the place a solid, and pack it out yourself?

So Josiah, maybe you don’t understand how tampons are used. The one in your picture is 1/3 used. No one  stopped on a ledge to change that tampon. The only time a woman might change a tampon mid route on a ledge is if they felt a gush of hot wet stuff after they bled through. Even that scenario is very unlikely. Women know their flow and plan accordingly for it when climbing. Like on a heavy flow day if you’re doing a multipitch route, you might insert 2 super tampons rather than one.  Before you put your harness on, before you started climbing, when your fingers were still clean. You don’t stop to change a tampon with your dirty fingers, that has hours of life in it, on a ledge.

some little rodent probably took that lightly used tampon from a dumpster, ate half of it and took the rest for nesting material. 

phylp phylp wrote:

So Josiah, maybe you don’t understand how tampons are used. The one in your picture is 1/3 used. No one  stopped on a ledge to change that tampon. The only time a woman might change a tampon mid route on a ledge is if they felt a gush of hot wet stuff after they bled through. Even that scenario is very unlikely. Women know their flow and plan accordingly for it when climbing. Like on a heavy flow day if you’re doing a multipitch route, you might insert 2 super tampons rather than one.  Before you put your harness on, before you started climbing, when your fingers were still clean. You don’t stop to change a tampon with your dirty fingers, that has hours of life in it, on a ledge.

some little rodent probably took that lightly used tampon from a dumpster, ate half of it and took the rest for nesting material. 

Agree that it’s very unlikely that some woman changed that tampon on that ledge. It probably got carried there by a squirrel. I’ve seen TP and tampons before on SMALL ledges, and in small huecos on single-pitch climbs, where clearly nobody could have taken a dump, or changed tampons.

But I don’t think it was taken out or a dumpster. The rodent likely didn’t need to go that far. There are plenty of people still leaving their toilet paper, and things like tampons somewhere on the ground, instead of packing it out. 

so the message still remains: pack your shit out, people if all genders!

I was going to say, this post is sexist.

Then I remembered that scientists discovered that men can have periods as well.

I agree.  Pack your trash out. 

Dan Cooksey wrote:

Then I remembered that scientists discovered that men can have periods as well.

Oh boy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA.

I have to say, I think the most common trash I see at climbing areas are hair bands. They seem to have a proclivity for coming off and/or jumping out of pockets. I also see rope end tags a lot too. 

It's usually pretty darn clean at climbing areas, compared to parking lots. What's the deal with masks everywhere now? Also falling out of pockets???

I hope we, as climbers, are able to get back to packing it out...even if it isn't ours. Find ways to be comfortable with that, or come prepared and fo a trash walk now and then. Especially someplace like Smith, where a lot of people are just touristas enjoying the park. 

Old lady H wrote:

I have to say, I think the most common trash I see at climbing areas are hair bands. They seem to have a proclivity for coming off and/or jumping out of pockets. I also see rope end tags a lot too. 

It's usually pretty darn clean at climbing areas, compared to parking lots. What's the deal with masks everywhere now? Also falling out of pockets???

I hope we, as climbers, are able to get back to packing it out...even if it isn't ours. Find ways to be comfortable with that, or come prepared and fo a trash walk now and then. Especially someplace like Smith, where a lot of people are just touristas enjoying the park. 

Hair bands?!?! Never once have I seen that! I would have said the most common small trash that I see is climber’s tape, the little end-of-the-rope rope-marking tags that fall off eventually, the little corners of cliff bar wrappers (when you tear off the corner of the wrapper, and it comes off completely), and little pieces of electric tape that people use to mark gear.

Tampons are good to have in the first aid kit, especially 100% cotton ones.

Josiah Alexander wrote:

Like seriously what the hell just lower off if it’s that important. This should go without  saying pack your shit out!

As a male who doesn't have to deal with "what tampons are for" (I really don't know, do you?!) I'm gonna give this lady a pass.

Maybe it just popped out on a hard move?

Lena chita wrote:

Hair bands?!?! Never once have I seen that! 

I can't remember the last time I climbed a route and didn't find hair ties at the base on on the approach/descent or on the route itself. 

phylp phylp wrote:

So Josiah, maybe you don’t understand how tampons are used. The one in your picture is 1/3 used. No one  stopped on a ledge to change that tampon. The only time a woman might change a tampon mid route on a ledge is if they felt a gush of hot wet stuff after they bled through. Even that scenario is very unlikely. Women know their flow and plan accordingly for it when climbing. Like on a heavy flow day if you’re doing a multipitch route, you might insert 2 super tampons rather than one.  Before you put your harness on, before you started climbing, when your fingers were still clean. You don’t stop to change a tampon with your dirty fingers, that has hours of life in it, on a ledge.

some little rodent probably took that lightly used tampon from a dumpster, ate half of it and took the rest for nesting material. 

Just a little correction... No woman uses 2 tampons at once.

Jessica Lackey wrote:

Just a little correction... No woman uses 2 tampons at once.

Yeah I also don’t know anyone that would wait until they were bleeding down their leg to change it. If you’re climbing all day, you might need to change it sooner or later on a ledge. And not all tampons use applicators.

All this is kinda irrelevant - sometimes litter is accidental, like when something blows away or gets dropped and you can’t retrieve it or don’t notice - and sometimes it’s intentional. Regardless of which this was, it’s still a good PSA - pack it in, pack it out. 

Jessica Lackey wrote:

Just a little correction... No woman uses 2 tampons at once.

Jessica, I am a woman and when I used to bleed through a cotton super tampon in 1 hour on day 2, and I was going to be out climbing, I would sometimes use two at once. The dimensions even of two side by side are way smaller than pretty much any erect penis, so it’s not that difficult. I’m happy for you if you never bleed hard enough to have had to do this, but I know for sure I am not the only woman who does this. Obviously not optimal but needs must. 

Probably a rodent or bird that took it up there.

Phyl and I recently left the ground for a multi pitch and came back down to find every zipper undone on both packs and every item pulled out and scattered around .

I heard ravens squeaking away about two pitches up.  Likely the culprits. A wily corvid could easily fly away with a light weight item. 

But the worst  trash  I find is at fishing accesses. I make about $10 a month on returnables that I find at the boat launches. 95% Bud Lights.

Not buying the squirrel or bird theory - they’re not that dumb - I say it was most likely wiped out for a quickie on the ledge and the lucky guy is laughing his ass off at this thread.

SinRopa wrote:

Tampons aren't very effective for anything they're not designed for, including real world medical emergencies. 

Bullshit. There is a reason every rugby team keeps some in the blood kit. There is nothing better for getting a bloody nose under control. 

Was this on Wherever I May Roam?  I have been looking at that one to do!  How was it?

If I remember, I usually bring a take-out plastic bag for trash.  If I have the baggie, I can glove any trash into it without getting squeamish.  The rock is a little cleaner than I found it. No problem!