Beltzville State Park (22-Nov-2015)

Another round at Beltzville. It is such a large lake I forget sometimes about all the different accesses. The one I decided on today is on the opposite side of the lake from the office and the only way to get to it is on a small gravel road that does have washouts from time to time. This trip the road looked like it had recently been worked on and was in good shape. I wish I could say the same thing for the parking lot. The lot didn't have any washouts, but was full of trash. As soon as I opened my car door I was picking up items. 

When I saw the amount of trash in the lot I decided my goal for the day was at least a full bag of trash. One piece of trash in the grocery bag in this photo is the reason I did not reach my goal. When I find styrofoam worm containers I always empty out the contents before taking them. This time that was a mistake. Atrocious, would be the best way to describe the smell of the gooey contents I tried to empty from one. I have been picking up trash all summer long and this is the worst thing I have found so far and I have found some horribly smelly things. 

I pressed on and the smell was just there and not going away. 

By the time I put these items together I couldn't take it anymore. I was done. I had to get rid of the grocery bag with the bait containers in it. 

I snapped this photo and was off to my car. 

This was it the smelly bag, not a full one and I didn't even spend much time collecting. I threw it in my car, got Penny in and we were off. The nearest trash cans were all the way on the other side of the lake, but that was closer than home, I got to them as quickly as possible. I threw the bait containers away and went immediately to the lake to wash off my hands. That didn't help. We were at the park, Penny needed a walk, we went and the smell came with us. When we returned to the car it was even worse inside. If you learn only one thing from this post, don't be afraid to clean-up trash, just don't open any containers. 

I will be going back to this site at Beltzville soon. I have to contact their office to see if they still have any dumpsters that are usable. There is a lot of non-recyclables at the site and the tiny trash can just won't cut it. I am completely worn out, tomorrow I am taking a break and I will be back at it again on Tuesday.

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

Appalachian Trail (21-Nov-2015)

Many times I have hiked throughout the Delaware Water Gap. Never had I hiked the Pennsylvania side of the of the gap on the AT. That was my goal and once I completed this I have hiked every water gap along the AT in PA. For me that is an accomplishment and cleaning up everyone has made it even better. Out of respect for other hikers and those who maintain the trail you should always read the rules if they are posted at trailheads. 

As soon as I crossed 611 from the parking lot I was greeted with this small waterfall. The trail splits here and neither one is well marked. I chose to take the one going away from the waterfall because many times side trails got to the top of falls and just end. 

The first decent overlook on the trail up and the trash the surrounds it. I knew the 7-Up bottle I found here was old, but I didn't realize how old until I looked it up. I found multiple sources online that indicate the last time that specific label was used was in 1953. It boggles my mind that this bottle could have sat in plain sight right off the trail for over 60 years without a single person bothering to remove it.

Up, up and up. This has been a common theme in the past week. 

A long way down to the river and still a long way to the top. 

The green leafs of the rhododendron allow me to imagine it was much warmer and still summer through this section of trail.  

I have hiked that face of the mountain multiple times. I liked seeing it from a different vantage. 

Gatorade bottles are one of the most annoying items I find. There is at least one on almost every trip, they are larger than most bottles and because they are made with a thicker plastic they cannot be crushed down before being put in my bag. This one was left at the lookout in the photo above it. 

A view down the Delaware. New Jersey to the left good old Pennsylvania to the right. 

Two of my favorite conifers! The photo on the right is a species of Juniper, along this section of the Appalachians they are found on the southern face, at higher elevations, in steep rocky sections where other woody vegetation is sparse. The photo on the right is a Pitch Pine. One easy way to distinguish a Pitch Pine from other conifers in this area is to look at the trunk of the tree. If needles are growing out of the trunk and not just on the branches it is a Pitch Pine. Pitch Pine cones need fire in order to open and deposit seed, this means in places where you find a lot of these trees fires are a common occurrence. Sometimes forest fires are a good thing.

Coming up the trail there were a number of people enjoying a rest at this waterfall, I waited to take a photo until the trek down. 

Somehow I missed a turn in the trail that would take me directly back to my car. Instead I was lead to this pond which feeds the small waterfall at the beginning of this post. The resident Beavers here are currently working on a massive construction project to deepen this water body. 

The work they are doing is truly impressive. Not only did they block the outflow culvert that runs under the trail, they also damed up the entirety of one side of the pond. The trees in this photo have been flooded due to their work and just a little further down the pond there were some benches that you would now need to get your feet wet to sit on. 

By the time I made it to the I had one hand full of bottles, my front sweater pocket was full of bottles and my backpack was overflowing with these items. I should have just used a garbage bag. It is always sad to see this much trash in an area that is part of our National Park System. 

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

Appalachian Trail (20-Nov-2015)

From the east side of the Susquehanna gap, I got on 22 and drove across the river. The traffic was heavy crossing the bridge and there didn't look to be any areas for pedestrians to hoof it over. Maybe I missed something. From what I saw though it was not a hiker friendly crossing. I crossed another bridge and went through a small town heading toward the mountain. It was simple enough, cross a couple rivers and follow the Susquehanna down until I see where the AT picks up again. I ended up at Tubby's Nightclub, the last stop on a dead end road. I didn't see any signs for the AT, so I turned around and went back into the town. I asked a gentleman crossing the road if he knew where I could find the access and he directed me back to Tubby's. I parked across the dead end road from the club and soon found the unmarked access to the trail. Penny and I were off again heading up another portion of the mountain.

Looking back across the Susquehanna on the portion of mountain we hiked earlier in the day. It doesn't look as high as it is from a distance. 

With this being the third hike of the day, this stone bench begged me to take a rest as I passed. With the sun on a downward path I had to pass up the offer and just keep on going. 

What an impressive set of stairs. 

On the way up the mountain I met Sean O'Shell. He helps to maintain this section of AT and asked me if I was on my way up to Hawk Rock. I told him I was just going to the top and I knew nothing about the area. He said if I made it to the outlook he would tell me a little bit about the surrounding area. When I got to the top he was there and did just that.

Mr. O'Shell informed me of the work that has been done to keep graffiti off of Hawk Rock and to keep the outlook as natural as possible. The area has been tagged several times and some of the cleanings he did on his own. Mr. O'Shell, also pointed out some of the features that can be seen from the lookout and told me about a loop trail that can be taken back down the mountain. Below are some links he provided for the area. The first link Trail Vistas would be extremely helpful if you are looking for nice hiking trails in this part of PA.

Trail Vistas

Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community

Hawk Rock Vandalism

Second Hawk Rock Clean-Up

My backpack was full by the end of this last hike of the day and the sun was going down. I would like to once again thank Mr. O'Shell for the information he provided to me and the work that he has done to keep Hawk Rock graffiti free! 

Total for the day was close to a full bag. This included the stop in Halifax and the hikes to the top of both the east and west side of the Susquehanna gap. 

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

Appalachian Trail (20-Nov-2015)

Had a small amount of trouble finding the access to the Appalachian Trail at this site. Missed the sign and ended up getting on route 22. After turning around at the next exit and coming back I figured it out. With the stop in Halifax and my 22 detour, the trip down to this area took over two hours so I was ready to hit the trail. 

At the start, the noise of the traffic from 22 just pounds against the mountainside, slowly disappointing as I made the accent. 

Not often do I come across a Holly tree on a hike. At this location it could possibly be an American Holly, a native species. Pennsylvania is the northernmost range of the American Holly, but it only occurs in a handful of locations. 

After coming to a trail junction I had a short and a long option to choose from going up, so I took the Sussquehanna Trail. This was the shorter option and a lot of it was steep. This section of trail however, was extremely clean. This old soda bottle was the only piece I found on the way up. 

I was very happy with my trail choice for the way up. It is a harder hike than taking the Appalachian Trail option, but I found out that this way saved the best views for last. 

This paper wasp nest caught my attention. It was huge, at least a foot and a half from top to bottom and it was swinging in the wind. Over the years I have seen many of these nests destroyed by people, even off of trails like this in the middle of the woods. Paper wasps really pose no threat to anyone, unless they or their nest is being disturbed. They do not go out and seek confrontations with people and belong in our environment. 

This is Clarks Ferry Shelter. It was a slight diversion off of the loop and ended up being the turn around point. My goal was to make it to the top and I accomplished that and then some. This was slightly over the opposite side of the mountain I came up and the shelters are always a good place to check for trash. I would like to point out that these shelters are intended for threw hikers. These are individuals that are doing long trips on the AT. 

Some nice individual bagged up most of these cans and threw them underneath the shelter. I really try to do whatever I can to remove plastics and aluminum, so I went for a crawl. There was not much room for me under there and it was not enjoyable in the least, I got them out though and that's what matters. There was also a pile of glass bottles underneath the back of the shelter. Lately I have been taking glass, in this case though I knew I had a longer hike out than in and there was just too much risk of a bottle breaking on the way back. Found a couple of plastic bottles in the brush around the shelter, but other than that, the cans and the glass it was very well maintained. 

The trip back the AT was awesome. The Susquehanna bends around this portion of the mountain and can be seen on both the north and the south side from the trail. On the left is the southern view, right the north.  

Another view off the southern face. Almost every time I looked out over the river I just imagined paddling it. It was one of my goals this past summer to get on the Susquehanna and I never was able to complete it. Next year I will and it is my intent to get a ton of trash off of its banks!

For the most part this section of AT was fairly clean. My pack was just about full by the time I returned to my car, but I didn't have to get out a garbage bag. I added this to the bag from Halifax, loaded Penny and my pack in the car and set off for the next location. By this time it was getting close to 3pm and I was wondering if I would be able to make it to the top of the other side before dark. 

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

Fort Halifax Park (20-Nov-2015)

Fort Halifax Park was not the intended destination for the day, just a short stopping point. I set out with the goal of climbing to the top of each side of the AT in the Susquehanna gap. It really wasn't meant to be a trash collecting trip, but as always it turned out to be one. The gap on the Susquehanna is about a two hour drive from my house and by the time I noticed the sign for Fort Halifax Park I was ready to get out and stretch my legs. The park seemed to be newer and compared to most historic parks I have been to it was a little strange. I had to park between an old barn and farmhouse that looked like it was not long abandoned. It really just felt like I was walking through someones property. There were no signs that explained anything about Fort Halifax, one map and a sign with the list of monetary donors was all I could find. The map did point out the location of a dig site where the fort once stood, but I never found it. I think the dig might be a future project. When I checked out the river I immediately found trash, so I decided to walk the shoreline and do some collecting.

Most of the items found were scattered throughout the bank. This debris pile held the greatest amount of plastics.

When I first went to view the river I did not have my pack on me. This was the first round of collecting because it was all I could carry when walking Penny as well. 

The second round of collecting filled my backpack. I don't think I will ever comprehend how so many people choose to litter. This is just from a very small section of an incredibly large river and I am sure the banks in most areas are the same. 

After emptying the second round I set off for the third and this is when I went looking for the dig site listed on the map. I found the campsite also listed and picked up these beer cans from around it. When I got home I looked up Fort Halifax it was really insignificant. I packed up this last bit of trash and set off to my main destination.  

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

Ashfield Road (19-Nov-2015)

The rain eased up some, but never stopped for the entirety of todays clean-up. When I set out today I thought I would just walk a section of the Appalachian Trail, driving up to the access point on top of the mountain on Ashfield Road changed my mind. I passed too much garbage on the way up so I decided to walk the road. 

With it being wet and foggy road clean-ups are not the best idea. This road does not see much traffic though and there is plenty of room to get over on the sides. 

Cans were the item of the day. There seemed to be one every ten feet.

Like many not well traveled roads in the area there is a lot of things dumped off of the side of this one. Most of the individuals that do this seem to pick the steepest areas to discard their refuse. I am really going to try hard this winter to come up with funding to start taking care of these non-recyclable items. 

Can you see it? Around the center of the photo, underwater, is a Green Frog. There are two reasons I can think of that this frog was active today. The first would be that it has been an extremely warm November here and that it may be out and about on its own accord. The second would be that the rain today flushed it out of a site that it choose to overwinter in. I think both are good possibilities. 

I had Penny along with me today and when we were getting close to the bottom she stopped and didn't want to go any further. It was raining, she was soaked, I was soaked, so I agreed with her silent protest of going any further and we started back up. She did so at full speed, pulling me up the mountain until we got to a deer carcass that we passed on the way down. She wasn't bothered by the rain at all and just wanted the deceased deer. We continued up and now I was pulling her up and away from that deer. This is what I ended up with by the time I got to the top. There are a lot of cans in the bag that you can't see.

Penny seemed to be doing just fine after a short break at the car and a snack. We then headed down the other side of the mountain. More trash, more dumpsites. I would like to point out too that the land on either side of the road at this point is all State Gamelands. Items discarded here not only poses a threat to wildlife, but also disrespects hunters who paid for this land with their license fees. This is a practice that needs to be stopped. If you ever see someone dumping items on the side of the road, please get their license plate number and call the police. 

I know this photo isn't in focus, but I did want to highlight one of the items in it. On the right is a car battery, which I will be going back to get. I find car batteries more often than I should. They are not like tires, they are very easy to get rid of and most recycling centers will pay you to take them off your hands. I had to check with the recycling center I use to make sure they are still buying them and they are. With that battery I am going to get $7. It may not seem like much, but would you just throw money off of the side of the road?

This was a container with a mystery liquid. If I had to guess I would say used oil. I absolutely hate leaving items like this, but who knows what's in it and where do you take it? I am going to send an e-mail to a local WCO to see if the Game Commission will remove it before the contents end up on the outside of the container. 

This was the from the second trip. Penny and I did not make it too far down the north side of the mountain, but we were both done for the day. I think we both weighed about twenty pounds more with water soaked into my clothes and into her fur. 

Close to one bag total for the day. Currently I am happy to be home, warm and dry. I believe Penny is too. 

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