Wild Blueberry season yields more than fresh fruit. (Provided photo — Diane Chase)

Blueberry season is my family’s favorite time of year, whether foraging wild blueberries or going to the U-Pick Blueberries in Vermontville. We recently had some wild blueberry picking experiences that have me researching how much sanitizing a tiny piece of fruit will take so I don’t become a host for parasites. (Please distinguish my observations from the very clean, domestic berry-picking operation that is privately owned and monitored.)

I recently climbed Catamount with the blueberries littering the mountaintop. Cup ready, it was time to pick and eat. The only issue was that someone decided to make it their personal outhouse. Toilet paper waved from bushes as if it was Mischief Night. Someone chose to poop with a summit view.

It’s mildly tolerated when a toddler decides to pee in public. Let’s use the middle of the Bronx Zoo monkey exhibit as an example. I know because I was called to task by a guard when my son hid in a corner to relieve himself on the interior shrubbery. The difference is that my son didn’t know better, he didn’t poop, and neither we nor the monkeys were foraging for food. Don’t worry. My son and I both got an education in public safety.

Humans are among the few animals that usually don’t poop where they eat. For an added mind bubble, humans have evolved over the years to understand that disease comes from contaminating our water and food sources. That logic goes out the window in the woods, on a trail, or near the rivers and lakes. Some people think they can flush the lakes, and the mountain view replaces their bathroom reading material. I know; I’m preaching to the choir.

I told friends about my blueberry nightmare, and they shared their experiences. The stories range from pups covered in human feces and toilet paper in the middle of hiking trails. Some people aren’t even attempting to cover their tracks, let alone leave no trace.

I don’t know a solution other than continuing to spread the word. It’s not just about garbage on the trails; it’s public safety. Outhouses at trailheads are only sometimes conveniently located, but treating the wilderness as a personal privy isn’t right either.

I’ll still pick blueberries, but I’m watchful of what surrounds them. I’m sad about losing the joy of picking and eating wild blueberries on top of a summit. If anyone sees people using the Adirondacks as their toilet, let’s approach them as the guard educated my son, with a gentle view toward public safety. Stay safe!