PVCC Clubs Help Clear Scottsville Trail
Olivia Stevens, staff writer
Early Saturday morning on Feb. 11, 2017 the Lumberjack Club and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) traveled to Scottsville, Virginia, to help clean the Scottsville Trail. The trail begins behind Doug’s Appliance. When the clubs first arrived at the trail, it was covered in weeds and bushes and did not look like a person could hike through it.
The trail was covered in fallen leaves and branches. There is a small creek that is at the beginning of the trail. Rocks in the creek form a stepping stone path to the other side where trail blazers can begin their journey up the steep trail. Vines hang down from the trees impairing hikers’ paths. When the Lumberjack club and PTK arrived they pulled on their gloves and went to work. They soon were pulling weeds from the ground and the trees. Stepping through the small creek to cut down bushes, and create an opening for the trail. After about thirty minutes of hacking away, the beginning of the trail started to show. While pulling down vines and clearing bushes, the club members filled the back of a white pickup truck. A few members disposed of the logs, sticks, vines, and leaves at a local city councilman house, who planned to use them to have a bonfire. The truck went on about four trips throughout the day.
Behind the creek in the middle of the trail was a log that had fallen down, blocking the trail. Three lumberjack club members grabbed their axes and saws and began to try and cut the log in half, so people could enjoy walking through the trail without climbing over or crawling under the log. After an hour of hacking and sawing the log, the members barely made a dent in it. The other members were also sawing and hacking away at other logs that were too large to be carried away.
After two hours of cutting down weeds, bushes, vines, and logs, the clubs finally had created an opening so walkers could find the trail. After clearing the trail, the members went on a short hike to see where the Scottsville trail leads. Along the trail is a pond where locals can fish for trout, when the pond is stocked. The clubs also learned that the town of Scottsville has been working on the trail for six years trying to prepare for people to hike.
When the hard work was finished the members went to celebrate with a cup of coffee from the local coffee and bookstore in downtown Scottsville. Baine’s Books & Coffee was only a short distance from the trail opening.
Lumberjack club member Annelise Stunes said, “I’d say that the experience made me appreciate nature and hard work more. It was nice to get away from school and work on something with my hands.”
Another Lumberjack and PTK member, Alec Traaseth said, “Clearing trails this past Saturday with Phi Theta Kappa and the Lumberjack Club was an extremely fulfilling experience. In just a short two hours, we managed to assist with almost entirely clearing out an extremely overgrown trail entrance, and the difference was night and day. It was not the easiest of work, but contributing your time to a good cause with a big group of like-minded people was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday morning. I hope I’ll get the chance to participate in something similar in the future!”
