Rescuing lost and injured hikers in the mountains is dangerous work, but experienced rescuers know what they’re doing. A few teams in the rugged center of Taiwan are so confident in their skills that they’ve even started rappelling down some of Taiwan’s most treacherous slopes just to collect garbage left by careless visitors.
It may look like a mountain rescue operation, but isn’t a person these rescue teams are looking for. Instead, the target is garbage tossed by hikers in hard-to-reach mountainous areas.
Over 100 workers from 20 rescue teams and charity groups were there for the operation. They scoured the difficult slopes of Hehuan and Wuling Mountains in central Taiwan, picking up all the litter they could find. The goal was to make the slopes clean for the upcoming National Day long weekend.
The workers made sure to don full gear and use cables and ropes to rappel down the steep slopes. Temperatures were low, there was drizzle in the air, and a low fog set in, but the workers were undeterred.
In just over half a day, they filled 30 big trash bags. The organizer of the event hopes that it will lead people to be more considerate when visiting wild areas, leaving only footprints behind.