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.
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
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