A furious British hiker has blasted disgusting litter louts after finding 33lbs of dirty clothes, towels and beer cans dumped at a beauty spot.
Rachel Sutcliffe, 42, is a seasonal glacier guide in Iceland.
But she was left shocked and disgusted by the mess confronting her after a trek to Reykjadalur Hot Springs.
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The area was strewn with litter, discarded clothing and even graffiti.
Determined to do something about it, Rachel spent hours clearing up the rubbish before hauling the heavy load back down the mountain.
The geothermal valley sits above the town of Hveragerði in South Iceland, where steam vents and boiling springs feed a naturally warm river.
A marked trail climbs around two miles from the Hveragerði trailhead, winding through colourful mineral fields and past a waterfall before reaching a stretch of shallow river with natural pools used for bathing.
The uphill walk takes around 45 to 60 minutes, making it a popular half-day trip from Reykjavík.
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Visitors are advised to stick to the paths and respect the fragile geothermal ground, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Rachel fumed: “I hiked up and then brought down around 33lbs of garbage people had left there.
“It was heavy.
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“No one cared.
“Here we have humans being ‘see you next Tuesdays’.
“Look at this glorious place.
“‘Leave no trace’ is not in some people’s vocabulary.
“It’s a sad sight really.
“Why do people do it? How were they raised?
“They made a f***ing mess?
“Well, that’s a shame.
“I tried to tidy it up. I put it all in one bag and took it with me back down.”
Rachel said the walk back down took around 90 minutes and she had set off early enough to be the first person at the site.
As other visitors arrived, she asked whether they could help carry some of the rubbish down.
Some agreed, while others ignored her.
She said: “One group of four young men said they would.
“Then they walked past me about 30 minutes into my hike down as I was slow and kept having to stop.
“They looked a bit embarrassed and walked very quickly by me.
“They didn’t even offer to help me with the bag of trash, which is sad.”
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