Today I started a new summertime project (like I really needed another one). I’m excited for it.
I plan to hike the full Omaha trail/bike path system one piece at a time. The system is impressive–86.28 miles according to the map. I’ll do the whole thing twice since I’ll hike out and back to the car most days.
While I walk I’ll pick up the trash on the side of the trail.
I started picking up trash on the trails in 2003. As I hiked the six-mile Lake Wehrspann Trail near my home several times a week, I became disgusted by the litter. I kept getting irritated that “they” weren’t cleaning it up. It was so gross. As I continued to hike it for a few months I decided I could be “they”. I’m a fiscal conservative and don’t expect the government to take responsibility for every area of life. So I became “they”.
I bought a one-inch dowel rod, drove a nail into the end, filed the nail head to a point, took a plastic grocery bag to the lake and quickly filled it up. I dumped it, filled it again–twice.
After that I took two bags, filling them both each time. With my regular clean up I started filling only one bag, then a half bag.
On Mondays it’s messier than other days, but I still rarely collect more than a half bag.
It’s interesting because when I think I’ll rest for the day and not go out, I think, “Hey, they need me there. Who’ll clean the trail if I don’t?” It gets me out there.
So, today I skipped out of my Toastmaster district conference for a few hours and hiked the north section of the Keystone Trail. Starting at the skate park and hiking to Democracy Park and back I covered 3.5 miles of the trail (seven miles since I hiked and back) in two hours and 23 minutes.
I bought a fishing scale so I could measure my litter collecting results: 1 pound 1 ounce. It sure looked like more than that.
In my blog accounts I’ll keep you abreast of my progress and tell you about my experiences. If past hikes are any indication, I’ll have some interesting experiences.
My Gear
Keystone Trail near Democracy Park
Filed under: Omaha Trails | Tagged: David DeFord, hike, hiking, litter, Omaha, trail, trails
