Hickory Top WMA 23-June-2026

Knowing there was more trash at the location I worked on Sunday, I headed back to the same spot and got started again. I went in with the goal again of just one bag, but there were a couple things that I had seen on Sunday that, if I could get to, I knew I would be carrying out more.

I do not see everything and had passed these items multiple times now. Got them on this trip though.

This small item was one of the first things picked up. Seeing it like this, I just thought it would have been a piece that broke off of something. Instead it was the main part of a product I did not know existed.

I just looked it up and it is missing two parts. A clip that you can attach to a belt loop and a lighter holder that attaches to the ball at the bottom. The retractable cord still worked. I get the use of the product, I just can't imagine it would be a big seller.

The one main target item I had for today is right of center in this photo just barely poking out behind a tree. I knew if I could get to it I would be taking out a lot more trash today.

I worked my way out on the logs and found I was able to make it out to the tote that I had spotted on Sunday. This game me a lot more confidence in working in these muddy areas knowing I can do it without getting completely covered in mud.

In the lake for over 30 years and the bottle still has the plastic insert on the bottom. Most of the round bottles are missing it when I find them.

I didn't notice until just now that this smaller bottle is attached a little differently to the insert than the two liters. On the bigger ones the base just slides on the sides, this one looks like the bottom of the bottle is shaped for the base. Not sure if I am explaining that with any sense, but this may be why this one stayed on.

Tote retrieved and started to fill it. I also had a bag started at this point. I picked up the little plastics around the bin, those went in it, then when I started to get further out I switched to the bag with the idea the rest of the space in the bin could be used for bigger items if I find them.

I started thinking about this particular scene well after this clean-up today. I thought what a weird world we live in. 60 years ago there wouldn't have been much, if any trash in this area. Now there are plastic bottles, plastic toys, plastic bins and other plastic items. Oddly, I thought about what someone would think of all of this from the time of our nations founding. Think about how absurd a plastic bottle would be to them. We use it once and throw it out. It really is absurd. Recycling doesn't seem to be working and this plastic waste is just accumulating everywhere. I hope if you read these posts, see these pictures, that you really start to think about things like this. Does plastic really make our lives that much better and is it worth the cost of it being everywhere? I don't know why the top of a toy tank made me think of all of this, but it did.

At the time I picked this up, my only question about it was if it had been in the same battle as the plane I had found part of on Sunday.

There is a wide variety of footwear on Lake Marion's shores. It now has one less boot.

The boot went into the bin.

Instead of going back and forth dropping things off at the bin, I made a small pile to get back to later in the trip and just continued on filling up my bag.

Retrieved the basketball I had seen on the previous clean-up.

My first wrong step happened much further into this clean-up and I only got one muddy foot this time.

Here I could see two large items. A big plastic lid leaned up agains that log and a knee and a blue barrel up in the distance. I decided I would take the lid on my way out, but the barrel would be too much for this trip, even if it is empty. On a future trip I will check it and if it is empty I will try to haul it out.

More of the same and the bag was filling up.

The biting flies and mosquitoes weren't too bad on this trip. I did have a few Deer Flies like this land on me and try to take a bite. It was windy on the lake and there was a breeze coming through off of it. I think that is the only reason these weren't really bad.

Dibs. I had to look this up. I don't think I have seen Dibs Ice Cream before.

With this handful I had a full bag and was ready to turn around.

Now I had to make my way back to the tote.

Walking back I spotted this and it looked to be plastic. I figured it could go in the bin so I grabbed it too.

It was a thick plastic electric panel cover.

The bin and a good walk back with too much trash.

The plan became walking the bag down the path, dropping it and coming back for the bin and repeating that all the way out. There was still space in the bin though, so I couldn't resist stopping for another item.

I worked my way out to the big wheel tire I had seen on Sunday. It didn't take that much effort, but I did find that it had some water in it making it a heavier item than I had hoped. Also grabbed the bottle near it.

Disappointingly I found another Wood Duck Box. Out in the distance you can see the cone that is likely still attached to the post it was on. I don't think any of the Duck Boxes in Hickory Top are maintained at all anymore and from the three I found along the edge, I think most are down.

On the way out it was a lot of back and forth with the bag and bin. I did see this one Green Treefrog and took a short break for some photographs. Green Treefrogs are extremely common, but are not often seen during the day in areas like this. This was only the second in all of the clean-ups so far.