According to recent statistics, more than half of America’s college students spend their spring break at a beach.
Close to a dozen students from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee and Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, were in the minority when they chose instead to participate in a Trail Maintenance Camp in March.
Hosted by Southern Blue Ridge Hikers, the students – mostly female – joined with members of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and Jolly Rovers Trail Crew from New York to build stone steps at the base of the 2.5-mile Glen Falls Trail in Highlands.
Despite some cold spring-break-week weather and rain, students daily donned helmets, work clothing, and gloves to learn and work together. Some students are working toward environmental, agricultural, or forestry-related majors – with an eye on a career path that might benefit from some of the skills gleaned during a Trail Maintenance Camp experience. Others simply wanted to be outdoors working on purposeful activities, instead of lying on a beach somewhere.
At least one student is a repeat trail worker: Flynn Schierkolk, a junior from Washington, D.C., who attends Warren Wilson College. This past March was her third involvement in the Trail Maintenance Camp. Initially, she was able to achieve college credit for her work on trails, but now she is a volunteer.
“The work I’m doing doesn’t really pertain to the program I’m in, sustainable agricultural, but it’s a great way to spend my break. It’s so awesome!”
Schierkolk and many other students have been motivated to assist in Southern Blue Ridge Hikers’ efforts due to its founder, Jim Chance, giving presentations at their colleges. Under the guidance of Chance, as well as the other two main employees with Southern Blue Ridge – Kyle Pursel, a biologist and the organization’s field operation’s manager, and Bella Kisler, trail superintendent– the students learn how to operate on-site machinery, trail construction techniques, and safety measures.
While taking a quick break from dirty, laborious trail work, Schierkolk elaborated: “I have used almost every piece of equipment [on the trail], but this time I learned to use the capstan [winch].”
She had to speak loudly for her voice to be heard over the motor of the capstan, which is a rope and pulley mechanical device used to carefully and precisely pull heavy loads.
“We teach them how to do things right … how to use the equipment,” said Pursel. “They learn what hand signals and commands to use to keep the site safe … It’s important when you are doing steps on a trail, especially, that you use material that won’t shift.”
Indeed, students had to maneuver 400-500-pound granite slabs into dug-out areas for steps. When it was time for the students to move a granite slab, everyone in proximity had to be alerted to keep away from the ropes and cables.
Besides greatly enhancing an eighth to a quarter of a mile of the lesser-used lower section Glen Falls Trail – in the Blue Valley area of Highlands, with parking off NC 28 – the students formed exceptional bonds during the week-long project.
They were fed three hearty meals a day by a chef employed by Chance; they slept, bathed, and had their clothes washed at a renovated historic Highlands house Chance maintains specifically for the purpose of hosting individuals; and, they played games and shared about their lives.
Thus, Schierkolk said that she maintained relationships after her last two college break trail projects, and she has even been invited to work on trails with some of the volunteers from other states that she has met during the camps.
“Having public trails that are well-maintained provides positive experiences … the trails are the ambassadors for this area,” said Pursel. “And these students who spend their time working trails are doing something that will last. Instead of participating in fleeting activities during their breaks from classes, like going to a beach, they’ve created lasting memories and can bring their friends and family members back to show them what they accomplished.”
Look for a profile on Jimmy Chance and the Southern Blue Ridge Hikers’ plans for a Blue Ridge Connector in an upcoming Laurel issue – as well as a spotlight on the updated Glen Falls Trail.
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