Before today, I had not been to Big Pocono State Park. Even drove by it every day for several years going to school in East Stroudsburg. I don't know why I never stopped. Hiked almost every piece of trail today, only missed out on half of the South Trail. Took out around a bag of trash, there was a little more in addition to the bag above that I had dropped off at the car earlier in the day.
Always exciting entering a new park.
First stop in the park led to the first trash find. Someone left their picnicking items behind. There were also paper plates in the pile. I left those. They will biodegrade and they were moldy.
If you want to see this particular fire tower you are going to have to make your visit to Big Pocono State Park soon. At the base of the tower was a notice that the DCNR plans to built a new tower on the site.
I have a feeling the rhyming was planned. It really does have a view though, North and South facing.
If you ever wanted to interact with an oversized compass, well then the top of Big Pocono is for you. Just move the back of the needle to one of the yellow discs and you can read where the needle is pointing to an how far away it is.
Don't think the DCNR keeps the doors unlocked anymore. I think that would just lead to a trashed cabin.
My favorite type of trash to find. Now if only many more people could litter like this I could just keep this project going forever.
On the trails the trash was like everywhere. A bottle here, a can there. It was different in the fact that the amount of trash on the trails went from highest at the top of the mountain to lowest at the bottom. I am sure that this just correlates with ease of access to the trails.
The trails in Big Pocono are not the hardest I've done and definitely are not the easiest. I would suggest, if you do not like hiking up and down hill, that you not plan to go hiking at this location. All of the trails start at the top and go down.
The view East. I am not a fan of the indoor waterparks that seem to be popular in the area. The one in this photo, to me, is just an eyesore.
Completely unexpected on a November day. This Garter Snake was out and about, making the most of this warm fall day. Is winter not coming this year?
Part of the Loop Trail was an old rail bed. This was pretty far from any of the parking lots and there wasn't much trash at all. I think three items the entire time I was on the old rail line. Passing through these cuts in the rocks made me think about how much work went into creating this path. I wonder what those who worked hard to put a rail line through here would think if they knew the line would just end up being a hardly used path in a State Park.
Coming off of the old rail bed I was tired and had no idea of exactly where I was. I didn't realize I had made it that far from the top mountain. The hike back up wasn't bad though.
The boarder along Camelbacks one sky slope had the most trash out of anyplace all day. Lots of beer cans, this was just a portion of what I removed along the boarder. I think people may come to this area to watch skiers, it would be nice if they didn't leave this stuff behind.
A Sulfur Butterfly, like the Garter Snake, not something commonly seen in Pennsylvania in November.
The last view before I left. The park isn't that large, but does boast exceptional views and some good hiking trails. I am happy I visited and left the park a little bit cleaner.
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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