Pointless Prize: KOT and QOT

[drevil]

@komorebi 186212 wrote:

That’s so awesome! How long did it take to cut through the tree?

I think that was about 30 minutes? I sped up the video by 2000% so viewers wouldn’t go to sleep

@bentbike33 186224 wrote:

When I was a mountain biker, I used to carry a thing called a pocket chain saw that I got from a camping supply store. I think it would have made shorter work of the log than the machete.

I have one of those too, but I don’t like them as much as a regular(ish) saw like on the back of my machete. In my experience, they bind up more and take longer. Also, in this instance, the machete was great at cutting away at all the dried up vines and branches.

Those pocket chain saws are much more portable though, and I’ll use them in a pinch.

[mrhappy_onabike]

@drevil 186208 wrote:

Who knew a machete would be so handy for trail cleanup?

Wow! One thousand points!!!

[mrhappy_onabike]

@komorebi 186219 wrote:

Mega kudos to everyone who came out today in the cold and the wind! I’m guessing that 30-40 people showed up, including forum members caseykane50, CBGanimal, Christob50, dbb, Emm, Judd, KWL, scoot, secstate, Steve O, and a bunch of others I missed because everyone was incognito under all those layers.

And me!!

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[Judd]

@Steve O 186195 wrote:

Not sure if a protected bike lane counts, but–as one would expect from me–I removed a dangerous bollard from the Eads St. bike lane.

Before
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After
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I’m feeling generous so I’m going to let a bike lane submission count. Steve O gets two points for removing a “bollard” from the Eads Strett Bike Lane. 2 points!

[Judd]

@drevil 186208 wrote:

Who knew a machete would be so handy for trail cleanup?

https://vimeo.com/312555428

[video=vimeo;312555428]https://vimeo.com/312555428[/video]

Ricky gets two points for a random act of trail goodness. An additional 5 points have been added for using an advanced lumberjacking method. An additional three points are awarded because I didn’t see a headline that said “Man arrested carrying machete on popular Maryland trail.” 10 points!

[secstate]

Thanks for organizing the Belle Haven cleanup — like everyone else, I was impressed by the sheer number of people who showed up in the wind & cold (and on a day when other clean-ups were cancelled), motivated to come back later in the year, and rudely surprised by the amount of styrofoam! Also, I failed to dig this helicopter out of the frozen ground, so definitely need to come back for it:

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(Ok, that photo is terrible, but I swear there is a sizable toy helicopter in there)

[Judd]

@komorebi 186219 wrote:

Mega kudos to everyone who came out today in the cold and the wind! I’m guessing that 30-40 people showed up, including forum members caseykane50, CBGanimal, Christob50, dbb, Emm, Judd, KWL, scoot, secstate, Steve O, and a bunch of others I missed because everyone was incognito under all those layers.

Today I learned:

• On a blustery day, stepping on the bottom of your trash bag is a good way to hold the bag in place. Otherwise, your bag might get blown upside down, and all trash you’ve just painstakingly picked up might get dumped back on the ground. Ask me how I know that.
• I really, really hate styrofoam.
• This would have been a perfect day to bust out the cargo bike trailer that’s been sitting in my basement for the past few weeks.
• Snow boots, two layers of socks, and toe warmers kept my feet surprisingly comfortable. I need to find a better solution for my hands, though.
• I really, really hate styrofoam.
• When you spot two bald eagles, while volunteering to clean up a national park, on a national day of service — well, it doesn’t get much better than that.
• Did I mention that I really, really hate styrofoam?

KWL and Emm in action:

Bald eagles:

Just some of the trash we hauled out:

More photos on Flickr.

Josephine gets 5 points for attending with double points for this event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for bringing hot coffee and hot chocolate for the group. Five more points are awarded for taking pictures (including the bald eagles!) after my phone instantly died in the cold and arranging for a pickup truck to haul trash. 20 points!
Judd gets 0 points for organizing the event since he’s sponsoring the prize, but thinks 30 people showing up in windy 18 degree weather is so awesome that he’s not bummed about not earning points.
Casey gets 10 points for the double point event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for telling his dentist to hurry it up and making it to the event. 15 points!
Chris W gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for bringing her youngest and modeling trail stewardship for the next generation. 15 points!
Chris B gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for an excellent write up along with swearing off disposable utensils and styrofoam. 15 points!
Dana gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for providing pictures to blackmail TTR Sotheby’s Realty Company. 15 points!
Erin gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points have been awarded because her ski pants were the awesomest shade of blue. 15 points!
Ken L gets 10 points for a double point event. 5 more points are awarded as a bribe for saying this “The MLK Day of Service MVT event was nicely organized. Kudos to you and komorebi.” 15 points!
Bob gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points are awarded for being so unrecognizable when he was bundled up that I didn’t know he was there until the very end. 15 trash ninja points!
Sam gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points are awarded because he rode his bike from DC to Belle Haven before working two hours in the cold. 15 points!
Steve O gets 10 points for a double point event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for finding the most interesting piece of trash, which was a couch cushion that weighed a good 30-40 pounds because it was a frozen block of ice. 15 points!
Samantha is awarded 5 points for graciously lending me her SUV to get supplies to the event. An additional 5 points have been awarded for being the best Freezing Saddles team captain ever! 10 points!

Did I miss any one?

[Judd]

@mrhappy_onabike 186234 wrote:

And me!!

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Mr. Happy gets 10 points for attending a double point event. Zero additional points have been awarded for mostly just screwing around and posing for pictures.

[Judd]

@secstate 186251 wrote:

Thanks for organizing the Belle Haven cleanup — like everyone else, I was impressed by the sheer number of people who showed up in the wind & cold (and on a day when other clean-ups were cancelled), motivated to come back later in the year, and rudely surprised by the amount of styrofoam! Also, I failed to dig this helicopter out of the frozen ground, so definitely need to come back for it:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19057[/ATTACH]

(Ok, that photo is terrible, but I swear there is a sizable toy helicopter in there)

There’s still plenty of trash on the shoreline sadly. As many folks mentioned, styrofoam was pervasive on the shoreline and it’s really hard to clean up. DC has banned styrofoam and many parts of Maryland have as well including MoCo and Baltimore. Virginia is lagging behind on legislation that would reduce the amount of pollution being created. Some legislation was reintroduced in Virginia this year that would allow municipalities to charge bag fees. Some info on styrofoam in Virginia is here: https://environmentvirginia.org/feature/vae/wildlife-over-waste

The Friends of Dyke Marsh were looking to do a cleanup of this area before the government shutdown caused them to have to cancel their event. They’re hoping to reschedule when NPS reopens. The Friends of Mount Vernon Trail will likely do some sort of event for Opening Day for Trails on April 13th, pending discussion at our next monthly meeting.

[Obama]

@KWL 186220 wrote:

Judd – The MLK Day of Service MVT event was nicely organized. Kudos to you and komorebi. Give yourself extra KOT points.

I concur. Extra points.

[secstate]

Rock Creek Trail is mostly free of ice and now also mostly free of Honda.

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[Judd]

@secstate 186290 wrote:

Rock Creek Trail is mostly free of ice and now also mostly free of Honda.

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Sam gets two points for a random act of Honda removal. An additional point has been awarded just because I feel like it. 3 points!

[Judd]

There’s two great opportunities to earn QOT and KOT points in February by attending some cleanups on Four Mile Run with the Four Mile Run Conservatory (fourmilerun.org) This is a great organization devoted to improving Four Mile Run. The cleanups are land based, but they will lend you some waders if you’re willing to jump in the water. I used waders at the last cleanup with them and it was really fun! The February 9th event is billed as a Valentine’s Day cleanup so bring your sweetie and engage in some romantic removal of plastic. If you don’t have a sweetie, sign up anyway, cause maybe you’ll find your new love while you both reach for the same plastic bottle at the same time.

February 2nd event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clean-stream-extreme-land-based-clean-up-tickets-52965213379?ref=ecal

February 9th event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/four-mile-run-valentines-cleanup-tickets-52965315685?ref=ecal

[LhasaCM]

It’s amazing what you can accomplish in a minute when the wind does the hard work of collecting the trash in one spot for you. (This morning on the MBT.)

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[Judd]

@LhasaCM 186310 wrote:

It’s amazing what you can accomplish in a minute when the wind does the hard work of collecting the trash in one spot for you. (This morning on the MBT.)

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Chris gets two points for a random act of trail goodness for picking up trash from the Met Branch. An additional point has been awarded for using 100% renewable energy.

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