Volunteers clean graffiti from Beam Rocks in Forbes State Forest

The volunteers came to the woods with scrubbers, buckets, gloves, a banjo and five gallons of Elephant Snot.

The “snot” is a graffiti remover that’s powerful yet safe for the environment — perfect for scrubbing spray paint off the Beam Rocks overlook in Forbes State Forest in Somerset County, which was vandalized this spring.

The cleaning solution’s name is well-earned.

“It looks like snot, it’s disgusting,” said Rachael Mahony, environmental education specialist with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’s bureau of forestry.

She organized the graffiti cleanup, which has become an unfortunate annual tradition at Beam Rocks.

“It tends to be kind of a party spot,” said volunteer Joel Brady. “It gets tagged pretty much every year.”

Brady carried the banjo, plucking a tune on the short hike from the parking area to the overlook. He brings it whenever he’s outdoors, which is often. He’s the president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Climbers Coalition.

Beam Rocks is a popular spot with climbers, he said.

This spring, vandals covered the rocks in graffiti, with messages including “Corona 2020,” “Mac Miller” and “Trump.”

The coronavirus pandemic meant it took longer than usual to organize the cleanup, Mahony said.

The overlook has become especially popular this year, as people seek outdoor activities during the pandemic.

“This is an ongoing issue at Beam Rocks,” Mahony said. “We get some folks out here unfortunately who are bad seeds, who like to leave their artwork behind.”

New Alexandria resident Luke Miney has been volunteering in the forest for five years. He’s helped organize annual graffiti cleanups, often paying for the supplies out of his own pocket.

“It was pretty much the whole mantra: Be the change you want to see in the world,” he said.

This year’s cleanup was paid for with an $800 grant from the American Alpine Club.

Removing graffiti isn’t cheap. One five-gallon tub of Elephant Snot costs about $350, according to Mahony.

There were 15 volunteers this year, and their job was a little easier than it has been in the past. The Loyalhanna Watershed Association’s Youth Conservation Corps recently widened the hiking trail, making it possible for an all-terrain vehicle to carry a 75-gallon water tank to the overlook.

Last year, volunteers carried five-gallon tanks of water down the half-mile trail on their backs. Each tank weighed more than 40 pounds.

“It will be a lot safer this year, hopefully,” said Jeremy Umbaugh, captain of Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, who waited with a tanker truck in the parking area to provide water refills as needed.

DCNR officials posted on Facebook this spring seeking information about the vandals. No suspects have been identified, but officials have received several leads, and the investigation is ongoing, according to Mahony.

Volunteers don’t expect the graffiti problem at the overlook to stop anytime soon, but they plan to keep cleaning up the mess.

“We love nature,” said Melissa Soucy, of Rockwood. “I want this to be here for my kids and my grandkids, and nobody else is going to take care of it.”