Lehigh River: Walnutport (21-Sept-2016)

Out for a short paddle down the Lehigh River and up the Lehigh Canal. Started and ended this trip at a park in Walnutport. I worked on this section a few times earlier this year and wanted to see what it is like now. Without much rain the river is still running low and I thought this section might be somewhat difficult. 

On my last trips I stuck to the left side of the river. This time I paddled right across and worked my way down river right. Luckily the water was a little deeper on the right side of the river.

The trash collecting started off slow. Only a few bottles to start and the tv above was my first and only larger item of the day. The screen was broken and I only took the plastic shell. I did not feel comfortable paddling with the large shards of glass from the screen nor the rusty metal piece that was left behind when I took the shell. With the broken glass there is too much of a chance my bags will be cut and I do not want to loose any of the trash I remove from the river while paddling. 

I found it! Just under the surface of the water is a blue truck cap. Last year it was up river just below Lehigh Gap. This year I hadn't seen it and had wondered where it had gone. I don't know what to do with larger items like this. I am sure if I left it by a dumpster or a trash can at a riverside park, the park probably wouldn't be that happy in having to dispose of it. Until I can come up for someplace for it to go, it has to stay in the river. I honestly don't even know if I could remove it by myself either. 

A few of the smaller plastic items picked up from the right bank. I don't often find six pack rings. I made sure to break all of the rings before putting it in the trash bag. I don't know what the tubing was for. Only about a foot section was visible and when I pulled on it, it just kept coming. 

I got out for a couple jugs and other plastic items and when I sat back in my kayak I noticed this on the river bottom. Anyone need a slightly used umbrella? 

Stopped at the top of an island I have worked on before. On previous trips I picked through debris piles on the lower end of the island that were just packed full of trash. This time I explored the upper and mid sections of the island. 

Starting off I found a lot of beer and other cans. The way some of them were placed it was clear that these were not wash down, but that someone had a party here. There was also a diaper, this too did not look like it had washed down the river. I keep finding more and more diapers in places that people really should not be taking babies to.

In the mid section of the island it was mostly older items. I did my best to pick through, however I know I didn't get everything. 

The first pile from the island. The diaper was the only thing in the black bag that came from the island. 

Went back to the middle of the island and worked on it some more after loading up the other trash and moving my boat to a more secure location. On the left is what I think is an old plastic rim from the front of a child's tricycle. On the right a piece of a bucket in a tree. 

I couldn't take a bag with me into the interior of the island, too many thorns and other things that could possibly tear it. Instead I improvised and used the broken bucket to collect and haul things out. 

The second pile from this island. By this point it was getting late in the day and although I didn't go far I knew I needed to get back and I still had the canal to paddle. I sorted the recyclables out and loaded everything into the boat. 

There was a take out right across the channel so I walked the kayak across and hauled everything up to the canal side. 

When I got up to the canal I was very happy I didn't go any further. Work is currently being done on the lock here and the canal below it is drained. It would have taken me forever to drag my kayak back the canal path had I kept going down the river. 

Above the lock the canal was at normal levels and I had no problem paddling up it. Along the sides I did pick up a good amount of trash. This section of canal was really a mess. I think it looked worse this time than my last couple paddles through. Many plastic bags and recyclable items. 

Found some older stuff too. On the left a round bottomed 2-liter bottle and on the right a pull tab can.

Next to the one public dock there were lots of bait containers. There is no reason for this at all, trash cans are not far away from this location. 

Back at the park I hauled my kayak out of the canal then drug it to the parking lot. The hull was also full of recyclables. 

The was everything, a tv shell, a full bag on non-recyclables and a bunch of bottles and cans. Non-recyclables went in a dumpster and the rest was loaded into and onto my car. A lot of trash for a short trip.
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

Lehigh River (24-Apr-2016)

When I set out on this trip the idea was to start in Walnutport and float down the river until I got to the very end of where the canal holds water. I wasn't going to pick up much on the river and I was mainly going to work on the canal which really needs it. Little did I know these plans would change quickly and I would end up with a lot of trash and hardly any of it from the canal.

The view from just setting out on the water. My original idea had me paddling through and far past the bridge pillars that can be seen in the distance. I ended up making it to them, just no farther. 

Along the river bank I noticed a bucket and some other smaller items. I too, noticed this Canada Goose on a nest. I saw it yesterday and just kept paddling. Today I figured I would see if I could get the items without bothering it that much. I kept my distance never coming within fifteen feet of it when I was out of the boat and it never moved or hissed. It did keep an eye on me though. 

Normally when I find a bottle like this it is just a broken top. When I lifted this one a whole bottle came out. If only there was a time lapse of how the sediment filled in around it. The bottle was perfectly upright. For some reason my mind runs through all of the possibly scenarios as to how this could have occurred. Funny how even an average trash item can be interesting to me.  

After starting I kept working the bank, hitting areas I didn't yesterday. Small pile, after pile, I began filling my kayak. 

From a distance this island looks clean. I went right by it yesterday. I did see some things while passing it on the side, but the water is faster on the side and by the time noticed a good place to stop I was already down river. I stopped at the head of the island this time, secured my boat and started searching. I really didn't expect to find that much. 

It was here I realized my plan for the day was basically over. If it kept going like this I wouldn't be able to take anything off of the canal. I had no clue what I was about to find further down the island. 

On the last trip I noticed a small cove further down the island and I decided to try to stop there. It wasn't hard to do and there were a few cans in the area. I then walked into the interior of the island and quickly realized I would be spending the majority of the rest of the trip there. 

This is the before and after of one of the debris piles on the island. There were two large piles and trash strewn about not in the piles. I got to work picking the plastic and styrofoam, I realized I couldn't take all of the trash, so those items were the main focus. I would like to point out once again that if you come across a debris pile like this you should stay away from it. They are often unstable, contain sharp objects that can be hidden and sometimes have wasps nesting in them. Be smart, stay safe and stay off of debris piles. 

You never know what you are going to find in a large debris pile. Mario on a cap, with a santa hat and beard. I never saw that one coming. An inflatable whale, well not something I find on a regular basis, but is something I have seen on the river before. 

From a distance I could see this large gas can tucked away in some Knotweed. I had to get it, in the summer the Knotweed will be so thick you wouldn't be able to see the can. On a side note, Japanese Knotweed is a non-native species. It likes river and stream side environments and thrives here in Pennsylvania. It is very problematic and in some places has taken over large sections of bank from our native plant communities. Instead of a multitude of species, we end up with just knotweed. It is also extremely hard to get rid of.

After collecting this pile from the island I was left to ponder how I would possibly be fitting everything into my kayak which already had a fair amount of trash in it. I came up with a plan and I put it into action. First I took the garbage bag from the boat and packed it with all the non-recyclables, excluding the whale. Then I started crushing down the plastic bottles and packed them into the back of the boat, the gas can and the bucket on the bow of my boat in the photo. I was still left with more bottles and the whale. The whale went on the stern deck underneath the non-recyclable bag and the remaining bottles I reluctantly shoved inside the front of my boat. I do not like items inside the front of the boat. It makes it really uncomfortable and hard to get in and out in a hurry.

You may be wondering, how did he shove plastic bottles into a gas container? For some reason the previous owner of it cut the top and side, in a manner that it was like the top and side had little swinging doors. I can't come up with any purpose that would serve, but it worked for what I needed.  

With a full boat I formulated a new plan. I was going to round the island and paddle up river on the opposite side of the island. Not far above the island is a place labeled the Old Swimming Hole and there are steps leading up to the canal. Definitely the easiest way to get everything back to the car.

This plan worked out well. I was able to paddle a little more than half way up the island. The current wasn't bad and it was the depth that kept me from paddling further up. I walked the boat the rest of the way to my desired take out and it was pretty simple. 

I did have to unload, walk up and reload all the trash on the deck, wasn't that bad. On the canal I did pick up four plastic bottles, only did that because they were easy grabs. 

After laying everything out like this I just was puzzled as to how I fit everything in and on the kayak. If you look closely I didn't even empty out the bucket and gas container into the plastic bottle pile. So much stuff and I didn't even touch the canal as far as trash removal which was the intended goal of the day. I will try to be back to the area again soon. I think tomorrow will be a tire removal day in the gorge. 

While packing up all of the trash I met the Fly Guy a local fly fisherman and sponsor of the Lehigh River Stocking Association. We talked trash and flies and he showed me some of his creations. I was  impressed, not only do they look real, but each one is meant to mimic a real species at a certain life stage. Thank you Fly Guy for sharing and I hope you real in some monster trout this year!

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 blog? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Lehigh Canal and River: Part II (23-Apr-2016)

After dropping off the trash from the previous paddle I headed back down to the riverside. For this one I was taking the river downstream and paddling back up the canal. I like the areas where the canal is still intact and holding water. They take a lot of planning out of river trips because they make it so there is always a way back to the car. 

I didn't get far down the river until I started seeing trash. Over to the side I went.

On a small island there were a number of debris piles I searched through. There was the regular items and then! A Spidey Car! Spiderman sure does loose a lot of vehicles in the river. I find way more vehicles of his than any other superhero. 

More of the same river trash. On the right, the large item is a piece of the side of a boat. There was more of the boat where I found that, the rest was pinned in a debris pile though.

The boat was filling up quick. 

After picking through a couple more areas I realized I still had to go back the canal and there would be more trash on the way back.

I found the best place I could to take out at. I then had to drag the boat up a spillway for the canal and it wasn't easy.   

On the canal I started paddling back to the car. Right near where I put on at I noticed a barrel. Didn't think much of it, I have come across a lot of old rusty barrels all along the Lehigh Canal and in the river. I went to pick up a piece of trash near it and found out that this barrel was a little different than most. 

The barrel was upside down and full of trash. Why people feel the need to throw a can full of trash into the canal or river is beyond me. In the past with a nearly full boat I probably would have just let this be. Now I just can't take seeing stuff like this so I dealt with it. I pulled, pushed and shoved this across the canal. I thought that maybe once I got it near the trail I could flip it upright on the path and leave it there for the park employees to deal with. 

It was so rusted my idea literally fell through. I had to scramble when the plastic items started floating out of the barrel. I really did not want to, yet I did sort through all of the contents and separated the recyclables from non. The only thing I left behind was the barrel. Couldn't have taken it out if I wanted to. Hopefully the parks staff will pick it up soon and not just leave it there. 

This was everything for the second trip of the day. I will be going back to this location soon. There is much more to be done and I passed by many items on the canal that I just had no more room for. 

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 blog? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA