Image by Sam Dugon. Words by Rach Coleman
Today is Ostara - the Spring Equinox. I crawled out of bed at 5am to chase the sunrise at Hay Tor, the highest point on Dartmoor. It's not too far from my home, but it took some willing. I had to tell myself over and over - it will be worth it.
I was thrilled to find out I was right.
The Spring Equinox marks the seasonal shift from winter to summer in the Northern Hemisphere. On it, the length of day and night are the same - some kind of balance is found, and with it hope comes up over the horizon, curling in oranges and pinks. I am coming, the sun says. Our time is now.
I made it, perhaps 10 minutes before the edges of the sun peaked above the horizon. Nestled in amongst the granite, whispers of mist curling over the heath, I took a moment to pause, to be, to let the sun as she arrived warm my cold cheeks.
It was a blissful morning; one I feel lucky to be able to seek. As I left, I spotted it. A tissue wedge between a gap in the rock. My first reaction was disgust - the whiteness of it felt almost violent against the softness of the stone, the light, the morning. Then a sadness unfolded in the ground beneath me. It travelled up from my toes to my chest. It was both mine, but also perhaps the Moor's sadness too.
Thankfully, such a feeling doesn't hang around too long, when you're part of Trash Free Trails.
A root around in a backpack. A single glove on. A shove into a coat pocket and a commitment to remember to bin it when I get home. (Good thing I started by writing this, else I'd have forgotten it!)
I could've left that place disheartened; something so seemingly small and insignificant disrupting the sense of peace and connection by mini adventure to see the sunrise had cultivated. But see - this is the magic of removing single-use pollution. Few things are true, but doing something simple that gives back to a place you care about will always feel good, it will always feel important.
This is why we always start the year, the spring, with a trail clean campaign. Whether it's on your daily dog walk, at the local pump track, on a big mountain you've never climbed before - removing single-use pollution isn't an isolated act. It helps us feel more connected to that place, to ourselves - to each other too. It isn't just about removing single-use pollution; it's about what comes next.
Image by Rach Coleman
We'll be celebrating the power of our favourite simple but meaningful act from today until April 29th, and we'd love you to join in. Whether solo, with your mates, or by meeting us out on the road on our pump track but it's clean tour - there's a spring clean for everyone.
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