The weather provided a perfect day for a cleanup; as Lois is
fond of saying "another beautiful day in Traverse City." There were
fourteen participants: John & Lois, Henry, Leigh (first time on the Pine, visiting
from Texas), Marvin, (first time on a cleanup), Tracie, Marv & Marlene,
Fred & Judy, John & Rosario (also from Texas), and Gerald & Sue.
Although this section
was cleaned just two weeks ago, by the lunch break we had each offloaded at
least one bag of trash, and some folks even more. During lunch Marlene found
two lovely Petoskey stones and gave them to Leigh as a souvenir.
The two biggest finds of the day went to
Marvin, who found half of an aluminum canoe which he and John managed to drag
up the bank for the outfitter to pick up and Sue, finding a large mesh bag full
of cans!
Leigh found a large mesh bag
which upon closer inspection (and a good rinsing) turned out to be a nice quality spray skirt,
which Tracie took home in hopes that after the mud is gone, it may fit one of
her kayaks. We were also joined by a
lovely family from Berrien Springs whose two sons were more than eager to
assist in retrieving items when we met them toward the end of the trip. Sue and
Gerald posed at the takeout for a picture of another of their finds, a bottle
of rum and a coke.
Some of the other spoils of the day included about 2 six
packs of beer, including a Bud Light with Lime, several odd shoes, three
paddles, one of which belonged to a local outfitter and was returned. Right
before the takeout the river took its revenge on someone who'd scoffed at it.
The customary photo was taken at the takeout to commemorate
the cleanup.
As a visitor to the area, I can certain attest that the Pine is
indeed a jewel and worthy of caring for. It may be my favorite river so far.
Written by Leigh Baker