For hikers, the issue shouldn’t be limited to the litter they might leave behind in nature, but also to what their clothing and shoes release on trails and out in the wild.
Unseen Contamination from Clothing and Shoe Soles
People don’t automatically think of it, but if you enjoy hiking (and nature, of course), know that elements of your gear — footwear, synthetic clothing — can turn the experience into a source of environmental pollution. In a study conducted in the Adirondack Mountains, American researchers found a concentration of about 16.54 microplastic particles per milliliter in a lake whose shores are frequented by hikers, versus about 0.73 particles/mL in another lake that is less visited.
This roughly 23-fold difference underscores that hiking, even when practiced away from urban areas, is not free of environmental impact. Hikers’ gear plays a key role: soft-soled shoes and synthetic clothing are the main contributors.
Opt for Rubber Soles
The phenomenon is striking: even in a protected and isolated space, human presence with gear can leave an invisible yet tangible footprint. This finding also challenges the common belief that rain or atmospheric deposition is the primary source of microplastics in natural settings. Here, the gap between a frequently visited lake and another deliberately off-trail lake suggests a cause tied to human activity. In fact, the soft elastomer soles of a hiking shoe can break down over time, releasing fragments identical in size to those observed in the water.
For hiking enthusiasts, this finding implies not only rethinking their route but also the choice of gear. According to researchers, opting for footwear with a harder rubber sole may help reduce the amount of microplastics released. In the same vein, favoring clothing made from natural fibers rather than synthetic fibers can limit fragments shed by fabrics.
