The last time I hiked Glen Onoko Falls it was too cold to go in the run after trash. I had been planning to go back to the falls later in the year, but after thinking about the last trip, I decided it best to do the clean-up now when it is still warm out. Starting up the trail I wasn't sure what to expect. It had been around a year since my last clean-up here, yet I am sure there are others that work on keeping this trail clean.
Very quickly I found out that there was going to be a lot of trash. This was the first small wash I came across on the trail. Only saw a couple items from the trail and came back with a few more.
Almost all of the trash along this trail is thrown into areas that aren't easy to get to. For this one I had to climb off the trail, down another wash and under the downed pine in the top of this photo. Once at the bottle near the Rhododendron I found more trash to the left and the right.
Some fungus on the trailside. On the left is a type of puffball fungus. On the right is a shelf fungus. That is about as good as I can do with identification of fungus and I don't have any friends really interested in Mycology.
Glen Onoco Run has its problems. Mostly overuse, which has caused major trail washouts along portion of the run. There are still places, like that above, that still look stunning. The problem sections could be restored, I don't think that is likely to happen anytime soon though.
Much of the trash on the upper portion of the trail I found wedged in cracks and crevices between the rocks. In these spots I removed everything I saw except for broken glass items. I didn't have tongs with me so for some of the stuff way back in these holes I had to use sticks to fish the items out. The one above had old and new trash. The pull tab I missed on previous trips.
This was curled up on the trail. It is a Elm Sawfly Larvae, Cimbex americana. I moved it off of the path so it wouldn't be crushed by other hikers.
I passed several caution and dangerous trail signs before I got to this. Who takes a baby up a trail like this? There really are sections that are not easy to traverse and that's without a baby. In addition to this diaper, I found another one even further up the trail and picked up on the way out around the parking area.
I went to remove the trash in the photo on the left and ended up finding everything on the right. All of this was thrown off the trail and into the Rhododendrons on the side. Not easy to spot until you are under the Rhododendrons.
There was too much trash thrown into the gaps between the rocks.
Picked up five dog full dog bags along the trail. These are a very common trailside item. Why would you pick up your dogs waste just to throw it to the trailside in a plastic bag? It completely defeats the purpose of picking it up at all.
In this small hole I went in to reach for the bottle and realized what I thought was a rock covered in Lichen was actually a broken up styrofoam container. It looked like it had been there for a good amount of time, so this may have been something else I missed on a previous trip.
Not even to the main falls and I had a full sack. I left it on the trailside along with glass bottles I had in my pack to be picked up on the return trip down.
Here the trail on the right is one of the worst sections of the entire trip. Around a 30 foot section is washed out down to bare rock.
At the first large falls I tied Penny up for this photo. She did not seem to be impressed by the falls and looked much happier when we hit the trail again. The second larger falls can be seen in the background of this photo.
This area is still under the average rainfall for the year. The rains the day before didn't seem to add much to the falls on this trip. Just a trickle was flowing over the larger falls.
A new addition put in by the Game Commission gave me a good laugh. The sign has been there for years, the posted signs and the chain restricting access to the top of the falls were new. In the past the sign did not prevent individuals from getting too close to the edge and it seems the new signs and chain aren't having the desired effect either. All of the people I saw up there just went under the chain and out to the top of the falls anyway. Enforcement is the only way to stop people from doing this and I am sure the signs a up just so the Game Commission doesn't get sued the next time someone falls to their death.
Even from behind the chain there is a nice view.
From the top it was right back down. Made a stop for the first sack and put the glass bottles back in my pack. This was a big haul for the falls and I didn't even hit a lot of the side trails. Some trash I had to leave were it was, it was too risky to try to get.
The next time you are out hiking and see a bottle on the trailside, you have a decision. Just leave it, with the thought you did not put it there so it is not your responsibility or pick it up and make a difference for the better. Many people hike the trails in the Lehigh Gorge and many choose to leave the trash where it sits. We all can do better and if you see someone littering say something! Every piece left behind is a detriment to our environment and to our futures health. Be part of the solution and help fight this problem. The above is way too much trash to be found on just one trail. It saddens me that so many people disrespect the natural world, but I know we can make a change for the better, more just need to step up.
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
