This was removal day for the pile of tires and other large items I took off the riverbank in the past week. I decided it would be a two step process today. The first would be to move the pile to the other side of the rail bridges. The second would be to take them up to the road. For the most part it was carrying two at a time up and out of the canal and under one of the rail bridges to the other side.
Step one complete! Now on to the hard part. Because I have already removed tires from this side of the bridge, I knew it was not going to be easy with this many.
Two at a time I had to carry or roll them up this hill to the D&L Trail and then to the road. I was just hoping for rain and a cool down from the heat!
I started making a pile like I did last time near where the side trail connects to the D&L. After taking a few tires up I decided to just take them to the end instead of making another pile.
After this shot I didn't take any more of this pile forming. I just wanted to get done and focused on pulling the tires up.
By the end rain clouds moved in and drops were falling. I was so happy for the cool down. Then I got an even better treat going down the hill for the last two tires. If you look near the center of the photo you will see an Indigo Bunting. I never have my camera with a decent zoom on me when I see them. This one allowed me to get fairly close before it flew away.
The last two tires from the pile! Almost finished!
With the entire pile up I still had a small bit of energy left and I decided to try for one last tire that I had previously left under the bridge. I had stopped working on digging it out when I found a Red Salamander, by now the salamander should have moved on. Unfortunately I was unable to move that tire and after collecting some newly washed up items under the bridge I headed back up for a couple final photos.
I was exactly sure just how many tires I had brought up so I did one final count. I was surprised. In total, including the ones that were mostly just tread, I had removed 40.5 tires from the Lehigh all from just a half mile stretch! The .5 was a tire that was cut completely in half for some reason. It was a great feeling knowing that these would soon be picked up by the DCNR and will never be back in our river. This pile brings the total of tires I have taken off of the riverbank in the Lehigh Gorge to over 100 for the year! Who else can say they did that?
These were the few things I picked up with the quick stop under the bridge. Since the whitewater season has started these buckets are going to be a common find again. If you think it is wrong that the whitewater organizations pollute our rivers with these buckets and their patrons personal items write the Fish and Boat Commission and let them know! The laws can be changed so these organizations add nothing to our river systems, more people need to speak up to make that happen!
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
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