Just another week to appreciate

As service learning is required every week, this week the team went to the Campbell County Historical Museum and Library. "Service learning" is a method for us to bring greater meaning to our projects by learning about the communities we serve and the issues that our projects address. This service learning opportunity was recommended to us by our sponsor, so we decided to spend a rainy day learning about the community, rather than just sitting around watching movies. Our visit to this historical location was hosted by the curator himself, an adorable elderly man who showed us the museum artifacts as well as shared with us stories from his past. Some of the things that interested us most included the history of the coal mining regions, some of which were once located near the trails we are building. We learned that Tennessee was once economically dependent on the coal-mining industry. In addition to talking about the past, he also mentioned issues pertaining to the present, specifically how rock quarry companies are affecting the environment by harvesting rocks. In doing so, these companies ruin trail work, cut down hundred-year-old trees, and leave areas devastated. In all, this service learning trip was very educational and directly pertained to the trails we are working on, while allowing us to appreciate the area in which we live and work.

This service learning trip was a good ending to a hard week. On the trail, we encountered some stubborn roots, heavy rocks, and other trail obstacles. Removing roots and moving rocks out of the trail requires much more time and effort than just removing duff, the top layer of soil. For the really big roots, we use the mattock or the Pulaski. For the smaller roots, we use the clippers. Large rocks require the use of the rock bar, a heavy long skinny metal bar. Despite that the work can be physically exhausting at times, the team enjoys working outside with each other. Everyday there is always something we find to appreciate, from the smallest insect with what seems to be an infinite amount of legs to the tree which looks like a giraffe (or at least I think so!). Although I never would have thought I would feel this way, Tennessee has become a place to call home. The sound of rushing creek water, the vista of rolling mountains, the blossoming Dogwood trees, and the mountain fresh air are certainly engraved in my memory, if not in all of ours.

~Maria