Hickory Top WMA Rainy Day Clean-up 2-May-2026

  

       Most people would probably not go out in the pouring rain to do a clean-up. I decided to and am very happy I did. When was the last time you spent time in the pouring rain? To me this ended up bringing back a lot of good memories and the rain made this clean-up exceptionally enjoyable. I started at the second access that ends in a parking lot. Made sure to have an orange vest on as there was one more day after this one of Turkey season, then walked the access roads down to the lake shore. It is short hike in, but because of walk I did decide to just have one full bag of trash removed for the goal. 

      I am not sure why, but the gate was open. If you access this area, you do have to park to the right of this and the access roads are not open to the public for driving. This is also a Palmetto Trail Access. 

        From what I have seen the DNR and Santee Cooper keep the access roads very well maintained and they make for a pretty easy walk.

       The clean-up began just to the left of where the pump station is that fill the impoundments in the WMA. Here you can see where the water is drawn out of the lake and is one of the few open view to the lake in Hickory Top.

       First piece of trash picked up. Because of the walk out, I made the decision to just pick up plastics and leave the heavier glass and just ignore metal for now as well. Later I can access this area again by boat and won't have to lug the heavier items out so far. How many of these 30-40 year old bottles are out there? How far did they float from? I always have questions that will never have answers when I am doing these clean-ups. 

         These areas don't have piles of trash, just lots of trash spread out. How many pieces can you spot in this photo? 

     I see an awful lot of Wood Duck boxes down or in disrepair all over the county. When nest boxes of any kind are put up, they really should be marked and maintained on an annual basis. They should be cleaned out every year and if someone is checking on them, they don't end up like this and will last a long time. Not only Wood Ducks use these boxes, they are also used for nesting and roosting by Eastern Screech Owls. 

           I did a good job on this clean-up of taking before photos, but didn't manage to take many after. All the plastics and foams were removed.

      I don't drink much soda anymore. Are large mouth bottles still a thing? I had completely forgot about them until I picked this one up. I think the idea was it was a faster easier pour. 

         If it floats it goes down river. Over the years I have found many of these kids mat pieces. Even with objects like this, I wonder just how it got in the water in the first place. 

The bag was starting to fill up in a very short time.

      Another old bottle, this time Pepsi. Even when I return to this spot, this one will be left. 

       A duck and a bucket. When I found this, I knew my goal for the day would be expanded to a full bag and a full bucket. This decoy was damage and possibly intentionally left. If decoys have tags I will contact the owners to get it back to them. If not, they go in the trash or will be made into something. Always make sure to label gear you could possibly loose on the water. I would much rather see things returned and reused than to just be thrown out. 

      Was someone doing lake snorkeling? I did not find the other flipper, but it will be something I am watching out for on other clean-ups. There is a chance it is out there. 

      

       The bag was starting to get full, the bucket had a couple items and my camera lens was wet. Not much to go after this. 

      I immediately spotted the fins on the side and knew this was going to be the find of the day!

       Some poor soul lost this gem to the lake. It had to have been a prized possession to anyone who owned it. Certainly a footwear work of art that someone had to miss when it was gone. Before this I hadn't seen a shark sandal, but had seen bass ones. You really never know what you will find by the lake. Like the flipper, I will be keeping an eye out for the matching shark.

With bag and bucket filled it was time to start the trek out.

By the end I was extremely happy I did not pick up any glass or heavier items.

        Everything removed from Hickory Top on this clean-up. As of yesterday, May 6th, all of this has now been properly disposed of. This was a fun clean-up, not every one is. I hope you enjoyed this post, no wildlife due to the rain, but the next one will have a few more of our local critters in it.