The absolute first time the plague of litter in our wilderness hit me was on the trek up to Kheerganga, in the Parvati Valley, back in 2009.

A mini landslide had just opened up a cross section of the mountain. Clearly visible, plastic bottles and bags were packed into the mud more than 6 feet below the surface. How long ago it got there, I could only guess. I felt silly for even thinking, just an hour prior, how I was about to step into pristine territory.