While it is a pleasure to run the Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country Races, it is a bit disquieting to see litter on the trails.Wednesday night, during the 4.7-mile Out and Back/Stone Tower race, I noticed litter in areas close to the Great Woods Road parking lot and also deeper into the woods. It didn?t look like a lot of litter, just enough to draw my attention during the run.The Woods, with its 2,200 acres of forest, has always impressed me as a natural paradise and environmental resource for the City of Lynn and surrounding area. From the trees spreading out their branches to the majestic hilltop views to the calm pools of water, there is much to give us a respite from traffic-clogged streets and highways. However, this summer, I have become aware of the intrusion of litter.?It was apparent (Wednesday),” Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country race director Bill Mullen said. “Before that, I had not noticed it. (But Wednesday) it was right there, on the first ascent up the big hill.”Maybe it?s because there aren?t any garbage cans the farther you go into the woods, or maybe it?s the temptation to let something fall when no one is watching. However, when we run in the woods, we have to remember that we?re in a natural environment. If we have an empty water bottle, we can carry it out and drop it in one of the trash barrels in the Great Woods Road parking lot.Mullen indicated that people are generally good at remembering this.?By and large, except for some thoughtless people, those who go into the woods are pretty good at carrying trash out,” he said.Of the litter that Mullen has noticed, he said, “unfortunately, what we?ve seen close into the woods is dogs doing their business out on the trails. I don?t recall seeing a lot of trash. If I see something while I?m out marking a trail, it?s a water bottle that was carelessly discarded.?So many people now use the woods, and a number of them will think of picking up if they see a bottle. I?m really impressed. In general, people are respectful.”There have been a number of groups that have held trail maintenance and/or trash pickup events at the woods.The North Face at the North Shore Shopping Center, whose store manager is Dave Jefska, scheduled a trail cleanup day on June 7 at the Pennybrook Road entrance.The General Electric Elfun group, Mullen said, has held “a number of community service events in the woods, trash pickup and trail maintenance and construction.”Mullen added that the Elfun projects have been done in the fall, and that he has participated in them.?What we need to do is try to get a running group out (occasionally) to do trail work,” Mullen said.It was certainly an unpleasant surprise to see litter on the Lynn Woods trails on Wednesday. But perhaps this can spur the running community toward more trail cleanup efforts.