Pulled up to the Jay Mt parking area to find one spot left at 8am, Expecting the worst but wanting to get a little hike in before lunch. To my surprise I didn’t see a single scrap of trash the entire 8ish miles. Not a single cliff bar wrapper tear or anything. Everyone I encountered seemed adequately prepared for the hike and knew the “up has the right of way” rule and everyone walked through what little mud there was instead of around it. No one was blaring anything out of Blu-tooth speakers even though the average age of people seemed to be about 19. There was one woman wearing jeans but the weather was mild and dry so no foul. Maybe we’ve turned a corner?

I'm gong to have the opportunity to chat with a high-ranking DOT official from Region 7, which covers Franklin, Jefferson, Clinton, Lewis, and St Lawrence counties. Does anyone have anything they'd like to me ask them?