I had not been to Bake Oven Knob for a couple months and it had probably been over a year since I cleaned up cans from the bottom. So on April 28th I set out with Penny to see the condition of the area.
On the hike up to the site there was a trail of litter seemingly placed on the center of the path and none off to the side. Just before reaching the Knob I found out why. A man that I had met before at environmental ed programs was out birding and he had done this to easily collect it on his way out. His concern was that if enough trash accumulates in this area, the PA Game Commission might put gates up at the parking lot and restrict access to the site. Thanks to him and others the top of the Knob is kept up, with the exception of cigarette butts, glass shards and graffiti.
After parting ways with the man Penny and I started down the side of the Knob. There is no real trail at this point and it is by no means safe going down. This is the reason the bottom never gets cleaned up, along with the old saying out of sight out of mind. Not far down I found the first needle I have ever seen there. So, I snapped some photos off of a ledge of the main trash pile and got Penny out of there.
Needles seem to be a common occurrence now in a good number of the places I hike. I see them mostly on roadsides and around parking areas, but on a couple occasions now I have found them out in the woods. Just something to be aware of if you or your family is out on a hike.
So I got my first look at the main trash pile and I collected about a quarter of a trash bag of crushed cans on my first day.
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