Rock climbers clean up litter while rappelling down Mount Washington

PITTSBURGH — There’s no easy way to clean up the trash scattered on the steep hillsides of Mount Washington.

That’s why experienced rock climbers were brought in to rappel down the slope below Grandview Avenue to gather the litter on Emerald View Park.

The first order of business for the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group was to retrieve a scooter tossed over the rail.

“This actually gives us the opportunity to not only clean the city up but also do some training,” Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group member Michelle Bothun said.

This is the 29th year the hillside cleanup has taken place. All of the people rappelling down are volunteers.

“It’s unfortunate that people choose to throw trash over the hillside or anywhere for that matter. And as beautiful as the city is, we wanna keep it that way,” Bothun said.

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