I did the Shallowford Bridge cleanup for the first time yesterday. There was a nip to the day at 9am but I was sweating by 10. There were probably 50+ people there.

It was a gorgeous day to tromp down the river. I donned the waders and cleaned the right bank downstream from Shallowford. I made it past Mountain River Resort and fortunately caught a lift back to do the same to the downstream left bank. No way I could have waded all the way back upstream, much less pick & haul trash against the current.

Which got me thinking that you could really do some damage with boats as trash barges, one for each bank, several people in waders, and a good rendezvous with the trash trucks/shuttle.

There were all-you-can eat hamburgers and hot dogs, plus a cool t-shirt for a few hours of "community service". Well worth it if you like being on the water, and the river definitely needs it every year as the tubing population continues to grow: aside from cans & bottles being the catch-of-the-day, it was baseball caps, flip-flops, t-shirts, sunglasses, etc.

Biggest item: a clothes dryer with the clothes still in it
Most peculiar: a toupee that looked like squirrel roadkill