Lehigh River: Allentown to Bethlehem (17-June-2016)

Back on the Lehigh and headed towards Allentown. From what I saw on the last trip I knew there was a lot to be done on this section. Last time I followed the bank on the left, so I hit the right side. As soon as I crossed the river I started finding debris piles full of trash. 

I carefully climbed on and picked through these debris piles. If you decide to do a river clean-up, use extreme caution while cleaning out piles like this or just leave them alone completely. There is always a potential that they contain syringes or other sharp objects, they are often unstable and you can fall through them and especially at this time of year certain types of wasps like to nest in or underneath them.

This was not in the strainer, I spotted it just washed up along the bank. Even if you are just out on the river enjoying the day, know that syringes can be anywhere! Always wear appropriate footwear and watch your step. I ended up finding one other syringe hung up in a strainer on this trip and took and disposed of both of them. They are not always capped and are often hard to spot.

Another sled! The first one of the day was on the canal, what are the chances of finding another one on the river? 

Placed the sled on the bow of the boat and continued on. It worked nicely for holding trash and when it fell off it floated even with all the contents. 

I do believe recycling does work... that is as long as you don't throw your recycling bin into the river. 

When I spotted this I knew I already had a home for it. With a friend with a child who loves construction stuff, this discarded hard hat will now see some more use before it is properly disposed of. 

As I always do when paddling this section I stopped at one of the islands to take a break. Especially when paddling the canal the same day this break is needed just to stretch and spend some time away from sitting in the kayak. 

If I only had a canoe! Shopping carts and other larger items are an impossibility to remove with the kayak. If anyone would like to donate an old Mad River or Old Town it would be greatly appreciated and I would take out more trash per river trip. 

While out at the island I found this other reason to wear the appropriate footwear and always watch where you step. 

Happy with the haul and happy to be at the end. Pulled into the launch then carried everything up to the top. Like the previous trip I also picked up trash on the way up the launch. This one in particular always has trash on it.

If you are wondering, the object in the sled was a tent. It was close to fully submerged when I found it and was not easy to pull up into the boat. After the photo, non-recyclables were packed into the trash can and the bag of recyclables were loaded into my car. In all I thought it was a good day. 
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 here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA