Hiker sparks outrage online after sharing photo of disturbing trail discovery: 'These things have been everywhere'

A hiker took to Reddit to share a baffling discovery they made while exploring one of the United States' most iconic trails.

In the r/AppalachianTrail subreddit, the poster shared a picture of a small metal cross they'd found while walking the trail.

"Don't destroy nature." — Photo Credit: Reddit

"Please stop leaving this all over the trail and LNT [Leave No Trace]," they said in the caption. "Don't worry I packed them all out and put them in the trash."

The palm-sized crosses are a religious symbol for Christianity and appear to be aluminum or iron, given their lack of shine. The poster noted in the comments that they'd found close to 20 of them "at every spot you'd stop along the trail."

While the crosses may seem like a harmless way to promote one's faith to others, they fit the definition of unnecessary and wasteful marketing if their use is just to be strewn about trails, and they also pose a danger to the environment and the wildlife along the historic trail.

They're small enough that a dog or wild animal could easily eat and swallow the metal, which could be toxic or harmful to them. On top of that, if the crosses are made of aluminum, they can leach into the soil and toxify it, changing the pH of the earth around them and making it much less habitable for the plants in the area.

Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?

To better respect nature's beauty, try to follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace.

Commenters were understandably livid at the discovery.

"I'm not particularly religious at all. The closest I've felt to a higher power was on the AT though," one said, referring to the Appalachian Trail. "I believe that you don't need crosses or manmade religious goods to feel spiritual on the trail. Don't destroy nature."

"These things have been everywhere, good on ya for taking them out, " another said.