Earth Day Paddle In Trash Out Event

It's a beautiful afternoon for our sunset Earth Day Paddle In Trash Out Event at West Neck Creek in Virginia Beach. We are all set up and so excited for the turnout of volunteers arriving shortly. With all of the boats we loaned out for free, a family of five with two canoes, and a couple with their own kayaks, we should be able to pull a lot of litter from the creek today.

Our first group, a father daughter team, are all geared up and eager to launch.

And they are off! This is their first time kayaking and they are extremely excited to help out while experiencing a kayaking trip on West Neck Creek.

Our second group is all ready to go! This father son team is also on their first kayak trip and excited to lend a helping hand with our clean up.

This couple just moved to the area and were happy to help out. We were sad to hear that one of their boats was damaged in storage, but happy to loan them one of ours so they could both make it out with us.

This family of five from Maine came equipped with two canoes and a lot of enthusiasm!

Right from the start they were taking advantage of the low water from the recent North East winds and were collecting litter from the banks.

Our last volunteer is on her way. We are excited to see how much litter this group can collect!

My son Logan thought it was the perfect time to try out dad's kayak for the first time :)

 The thunderstorms were approaching from the West but good thing we were in the clear until the event was over. The storm clouds created some picturesque views in the sky and everyone was off working hard on the creek.

We ran into one of our happy volunteers on her way back to drop off a load of litter at the launch site so she could head out and get some more.

 How do some of these things get here? An entire tire and rim was pulled from the mud and loaded up on the kayak.

Everyone one has returned and we are all amazed how much debris we have pulled from the creek in a hour and a half. From cellphones, to tires, to a front door and bags of bottles and broken glass, this Earth Day event was a huge success! We are extremely pleased with the turnout and the amazing effort everyone put forth in helping to leave our waterways a little cleaner than we found them! Taking on the world (and litter) with a paddle! Adventure Kayak Tours!

Paddle In Trash Out Event (Smith Creek)

We arrived at Baum Road boat launch in Chesapeake, Virginia eager to get started cleaning on of our favorite waterways this beautiful February Sunday afternoon.

We got to work right away on the shoreline and surrounding area near the launch. There was much to do immediately and we haven't even got on the water yet.

We filled bags and bags of trash. Spark plug wires, cans, Styrofoam cups, broken glass, pens, screws, bolts, and when your real lucky MONEY! :)

After a relaxing lunch, we loaded up and we are ready to hit the water for the paddle portion of this event.

Right away ,once again, we were hard at work collecting debris from the surrounding waterway. You never really know what your going to find on, or in, the water.

We are loading these boats up! Everything from hard hats to old socks! We always hope that we don't find all these things but find them we did! Which makes this effort so worthwhile!

We even had an audience as the turtles came out to see what was going on.

It's time to head back now. Our work here is done, I'm proud of this little girl and a paddle high five is certainly in order. The paddle back was a reminder of all the hard work we accomplished. A much cleaner Smith Creek than the one we paddled down just an hour ago.

We are back at the launch site. We were certainly blessed with a beautiful February afternoon for our cleanup.

Another day here at Adventure Kayak Tours exploring our world, and taking on pollution, with a paddle and a smile. Hope to see you all at the next cleanup!