Alpine plants can be crushed by being stepped on. It would take 10 to 20 years for them to recover. When people climb they often leave a trail. More people will then go on that trail. It will kill all the plant life and other things on the path. All the trash they throw out has an effect on the animals and the beautiful look of the mountain. If the animals eat the trash they can get really sick and maybe even die. In the last few years there has been an effort to clean up the mountain. Climbers need to follow the rule of: pack it in, pack it out.