Hickory Run State Park (22-Jan-2017)

For this clean-up I decided to hit a trail at Hickory Run State Park that I had never been on before. Well, I had been on a small portion of this trail, but never did the full loop. I parked at the top of an access road and walked it in to the trail head. 

The access road was bordered by old campsites no longer in use. I have found a couple areas like this in Hickory Run and I wonder if the camping was moved to the area it is today or if it is just that the park saw a lot more campers in the past.

On the roadside I found the usual bottles and cans. There were not too many, but it was enough to keep my attention on the sides.

If there was any more leaf litter I probably wouldn't have spotted this balloon. If you are intent on using balloons at a party, please make sure they are secured and pop them when you are done. When released balloons can end up anywhere and they are often the only trash I find deep in the woods.

The loop trail was nice and several sections ran through large Rhododendron. There were a few patches of ice along the loop, but nothing that bad. 

Along the trail there wasn't much trash, but I did see a couple items that I just couldn't get to at this time of year like this can in the stream. 

In all it ended up being a nice hike with beautiful views along the loop. The trail only followed the stream for a short distance, but the views along that section were spectacular. I wish I could paddle this section of water!

I was pretty happy that this trail didn't yield that much trash. The nearby trail to Hawk Falls is often a mess. I guess the falls just attract more people who like to litter. 
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