How do you fight 50 billion pieces of litter? Start by picking up trash on your next hike

Dozens of balloon fragments, plastic arrow caps, water bottles and granola bar wrappers litter the Lower Arroyo archery trails I’m hiking with twin sisters Kelly and Christy Villasor on a warm April evening — and we’re trying to pick it all up. “I remember thinking, ‘Why is it not a regular practice for people to pick up trash while hiking?’ since trails are created for the specific purpose of being able to enjoy nature,” Kelly said. Along with Pick Up While You Hike Up, I like Surfrider’s Rise Above Plastics, Heal the Bay, Trash Free Earth, Trash Free Trails and Surfers Against Sewage — they’ll help you stay in the loop about organized cleanups and educational facts, as well as offering inspiration to continue the trash-free Earth fight. Also a hiker, Moura writes: “Scaling Southern California’s tallest peaks provides a purer rush than perambulating its most famous streets, but the streets stick with you.” He suggests fusing city walking and hiking by leaving home, heading to the Arroyo Seco bike path to Lower Arroyo Park, past the Rose Bowl and through Upper Arroyo Park, to Hahamongna Watershed Park and the Gabrielino Trail, and eventually to Chantry Flat.