Beltzville State Park (31-Dec-2015)

With a cold I had to force myself to get out today. Wanting an easy hike I headed over to Beltzville State Park to do the loop at the Christman Trail. I have spent a good amount of time cleaning this area already this year, but I was sure I would find more. Not too far down the trail from the lot I took a side trail when I saw a can on its trailside. This lead to me finding one can after another about every fifteen to twenty feet. There were a few bottles mixed in as well.

This was the largest grouping of trash for the day. Pulled out five cans from this small area. No large piles which was nice, but the trash was continuous along the trail.

The trail opened up into this field and I stuck to the wood line and the trash continued.

Along the field I found the last full beer of the season. This year I have found over two cases worth of river/woodland beer. If you happen to find unopened beer in the woods or in a river, I urge you not to drink it. I had one can spring a leak and what came out of it was a thick foam of an odd color and nothing that looked anywhere near consumable. From the field I took a lakeside deer path back to the main trail that I was originally going to take. 

When I picked up this old planter I found the can of grape soda inside. It looked as if both had been there for awhile. With the grape soda, how can it be old fashioned if they are using artificial flavors?

I am not a fan of geocaching and I believe it should be banned on state and federal lands. This particular cache is a perfect example of why. This cache can be seen from the main trail and it is located on a steep slope near a stream. Increased traffic on this slope will cause erosion and there will be impact on the stream over time. There is little to no consideration as to where these caches are placed and I have even found them at the bottom of vernal pools. I am guessing those were placed when it was dry and the individuals that put them out didn't understand that these areas fill up with water for a good portion of the year. I think these items are trash, but in state parks they do have to have permission from the park to be placed so I did leave this one alone. 

My favorite view from the entire hike.

This was it. Hopefully the cold will be gone soon and I will be a little more motivated. I wish everyone a Happy New Year!!! and it wouldn't be so bad to add a resolution of cleaning up some trash in this coming year. There is plenty for everyone to help with!

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