After Tuscarora I called the vet and found out Penny would not be discharged until five, so I decided to use the afternoon to go out on another hike. This section I have cleaned multiple times this year and chose to do it again, because it is close to where I had to pick Penny up at.
I went to the gamelands parking lot first and found the bottles on the left. The lot was close to full and when a truck pulled in with a hunter in full blaze orange it dawned on me that it was deer rifle season. Somehow I forgot this. I decided to move my car to a pull off that is not on gamelands and leave the spot in the lot for hunters. At the pull off I collected the items on the right, grabbed an orange vest I have tucked away in the back of my car and set out on the trail. If you decide to take a hike on gamelands during riffle deer season you should have a hunting license and it is now the law that you must wear orange. The orange must cover at least 250 square inches on your head, chest and back and must be visible from all sides.
There was only one piece of new trash since my last hike up. I did find some older items that I would not have been able to see earlier in the year. How easily can you spot the can in this photo?
Mountain Laurel is a common plant in the mountainous areas of Eastern PA. It also produces our state flower when in bloom in the summer. It is an evergreen and in the winter months like the pines adds a little more life to the bland colors of PA's winter forests. It can be confused with Rhododendron which is also common and found in the same habitats. Rhododendron has much larger leafs and generally has a larger stature. When found side by side these plants are extremely easy to tell apart.
The border signs along the AT were a constant reminder that it was hunting season and I was happy to be wearing bright orange.
I definitely passed right by this several times this year. It must have been sitting there for some time.
When I photographed this leaf I did so just because I thought it looked neat with the water droplets resting on top. Little did I know I was photographing tiny critters too. There are a few tiny gray specs between the water droplets and when I zoomed in on the photo I found out they were Colembola. They are commonly called Springtails and these arthropods are almost everywhere there is soil, even in the soil surrounding your houseplant. They are so small most people don't even know they are there. In the winter large emergences of Springtails over the snow sometimes get us to notice them. It is also the reason they can be referred to as snow fleas as well. They are harmless and fascinating.
More cans that I missed on previous trips. These were in the cracks and crevices of a rock outcrop. I have scoured this outcrop and I can't believe I am still finding items I missed on previous trips.
The sun was starting to go down and I had a Penny to pick up at the vet so I headed back down the mountain. On the way down I ran into some hunters who thanked me for wearing orange. They had already come across a couple hikers not wearing any florescent colors. I wished them the best and kept on to the car.
This was it by the end. A little over a full pack. It really is amazing just how much trash is on these trails and how much I missed on previous hikes.
As for Penny she had a portion of her back paw pad removed that just would not heal. I have decided that she is now retired from trash collecting adventures. When she heals, she is only going on safe hikes and will most certainly never walk a trashy roadside again. Thank you to Blue Ridge Veterinary Clinic for taking great care of this pup!
You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash
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