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Appalachian students give back to local trails |
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Tuesday, 27 March 2007 |
by ALLISON CASEY
Lifestyles Reporter
Next time you find yourself hiking a nice, new trail, you may have Appalachian State University students to thank.
The Appalachian State Trail Crew, formed in spring 2005 by a group of student thru-hikers, works on building new trails and maintaining current ones around the Boone area.
“Right
now we’re putting all our efforts into building a trail at Elk’s Knob,”
Jenny L. Thomas, club president and sophomore biology major, said.
 Active Image | Jonathan Williams | The Appalachian
Chris L. Peckhan (r) and other trail crew work to maintain a part of the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee.
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The crew has put in 75 hours of work and built about 150 feet of trail.
To create the trail at Elk’s Knob, club members dig out sections of the
trail and place water bars to divert any rainwater from the trail.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s definitely rewarding. You really
feel like you’ve accomplished something,” she said. “It’s really neat
at the end of the day where you had nothing, to look back and see how
much work you’ve done.”
The Appalachian Trail Crew also works with the Appalachian Trail,
Grandfather Mountain and The Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing
Club.
Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Appalachian Trail Crew will host a gear exchange on Sanford Mall.
Should it rain, the exchange will move into Plemmons Student Union.
Anyone can show up and sell or exchange any kind of outdoor equipment.
The club is asking for a small donation from anyone who sells their gear.
“Last year, a lot of people showed up and there was a lot of really good gear available,” D. Andy Kruse,
club vice president and senior anthropology major, said. “[You can
sell] anything from sleeping bags to climbing or kayaking [equipment].”
In addition, the club will host a raffle for donated items and gift certificates from local vendors.
Raffle tickets are $1 and proceeds will go to the Trail Crew.
For Kruse, one of the best parts of the club is, “learning how a trail
is maintained. You don’t really get to see that when you’re hiking, but
it’s a lot of hard work.”
“I really love getting outdoors, spending time in the woods, getting dirty and giving back all at the same time,” he said.
The club has trail maintenance days once a month and anyone is welcome to join.
“We don’t have dues or anything,” Thomas said. “Anyone can come. All we
ask is they bring water, lunch and are prepared to work.”
“It’s great for everyone to get outside,” Kruse said. “It’s great seeing everyone in that mentality.”
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