Students built 3.5 miles of new trail! Spring slowly crept up
on the students and volunteers in March as they worked to
build the NEW Smoky Mountain Segment located in the Royal Blue
Wildlife Management Area. Their goal: reach the top of Cross
Mountain, a 1,900 ft elevation change, one of the steepest on
the Cumberland Trail. Did they make it to the top? Yes, indeed!!!
Students from the University of Pittsburgh, Florida State, Michigan State, Frostburg State, Emory, Iona College, Franklin Pierce College, Union College, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison joined forces with volunteers from TTA, CTC, several Sierra groups, some government agencies (especially TDEC), and other volunteers from around the region, to complete the climb to the crest of Cross Mountain. Each week also was an educational opportunity for all concerned. The students learned from us about the natural resources of the area, its history and its culture ... and we spent evenings discussing topics such as consumerism and man's control (lack thereof!) over nature. It's correct to say that we learned much from the students as well!
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