As part of Operation: "Noble Steward" for the New Earth Army, Captain David Lakota ventures to Mile 6 of the famed Kalalau Trail along Kauai's Na Pali Coast. Mile 6 has been a repository of garbage for many years as tired travelers are eager to shed some gear, food and other unnecessary weight due to being tired or simply thinking that it is an acceptable place to leave garbage. Once there was one bag, more accumulated. The rational is that someone is going to come and get it such as the State. Then the local pigs tear into it and spread it all over the place. Last year the garbage was strewn about in a 100 foot radius in and around the otherwise enchantingly beautiful forest and stream.

I was able to collect it all in about 2 hrs. and pile it with the other bags under the dysfunctional State outhouse with the rest of the garbage that others had stashed there.. My plan was to come back at some point and bag it all up properly and transport each bag to a helicopter pad 150 paces back on the trail.

Several bags were brought to that helicopter pad last year only to be thrown over the edge perhaps by the crew of the next helicopter that landed there. This year, the helicopter pad was cleared of debris (rocks and logs) so a chopper may more easily retrieve the garbage, which was placed around the perimeter of the pad instead of on it. Apparently the State doesn't have enough money to come and get the garbage.

I intend to coordinate a private or military chopper to come in and retrieve the nine large bags that we collected. (less info)