The 2011 SummitCorps officially opened on July 3, 2011 at the New River Gorge National River near Glen Jean, West Virginia. The four-week long service project involved over 1,400 Order of the Arrow members who constructed recreation trails through the park which is located just next to the new home of the National Scout Jamboree, The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. The project included clearing and building more than 25 miles of new biking and hiking recreation trails, and rehabilitating another 12 miles. The project was the largest youth service project in the history of the National Park Service. The Park Service has stated that the work done by the SummitCorps service project would have taken them 10 years to complete at an estimated taxpayer cost of over $1 million.
Tsoiotsi Tsogalli Lodge was well represented at SummitCorps with a contingent of ten people during Week 3, July 17-23. During this week, there were over 250 Arrowmen and 80 staff in attendance from over 25 different lodge contingents from all over the United States. Our Lodge contingent was led by Anderson Burgess and Adviser Lee Hubbard. Youth delegates included Alan Brown, Thomas Key, Seth Allred, and Sierra Webb. Adult delegates included Steve Allred, Sid Adams, Scott Brown, and Rob Kennerly.
Our arrival at SummitCorps on Sunday was filled with excitement and enthusiasm for what was about to happen in the coming week. The check-in process was quick and included a medical check, crew assignments, crew leader check-in, issuance of personal protective equipment (PPE), pictures, and orientations by the I-Corps (staff). The National Guard Armory in Glen Jean served as the SummitCorps headquarters. Camping was jamboree style in a large open field behind the Armory, with portable chemical toilets and shower trailers. All evening meals were prepared and served in a large dining area inside the Armory. Breakfast and lunches utilized the Philmont trail meals.
Mornings started early each day at 5:30am with reveille, and in time to get to the bus loading area by 6am. Crews were loaded on busses and were on the road by 6:20am headed for the work sites which were about 30 minutes drive from the Armory. After drop off from the busses, the work crews hiked to their pre-assigned work area. Once at the work area, all crews participated in a safety presentation by the I-Corps staff member on the proper use and safety of the trail tools. I-Corps staff also provided great instruction on the proper construction of a recreation trail.
The work days were long and hot leaving the work clothes drenched with sweat at the end of each day. Trail construction was laborious since only hand tools were used to remove and clean plant growth, rake away a thick layer of organic duff, rough cut the 2 to 3-foot wide trail, remove and/or fill areas with rock, and fine grade the finished trail. During trail work, crews encountered various obstacles including an occasional snake, underground yellow jacket nests, a rare species plant, an old endangered species tree, and just plain hard rock. Each of these obstacles required some adjustment to the work plan, and in some instances required further special assistance from the National Park Service.
Work days ended around 3:30pm with the hike out back to the bus pick-up location. The ride back to the Armory was welcome relaxation at the end of a long day. Upon arriving back at the Armory, crew members were greeted by a frozen ice-pop handed out by the staff. A quick shower and a great dinner in the air-conditioned Armory dining hall was a nice end to the long work day. Following dinner, work crews re-gathered for a “roses, thorns, and buds” discussion about the day’s activity. Evening activities at the Armory included a heritage night, popcorn and movie, a fund-raising patch auction, cell phone battery charging, and painting a replica of our Lodge flap that will become part of a permanent display at The Summit.
The last work day was Thursday, and Friday was set aside for the day of fun and recreation. Delegates could choose from various recreation activities including whitewater rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, and a canopy tour on zip lines. Most all of our delegation had pre-selected whitewater rafting down the lower section of the New River, so the day of recreation started with a bus pick-up by the rafting expedition company and transport to the start location. Once at the start location, we were able to group our Lodge delegates together for the raft trip. Whitewater rafting was much fun and included float time down the river as well as hard paddling through Class 4 and 5 rapids. Halfway down the river, the groups made a lunch stop to enjoy a great lunch provided by the rafting company. Once off the river, we were transported over to Ace Park and Lake for a leisure afternoon of swim and relaxation, followed by a pig picking feast…What an end to a great day of fun!
Saturday’s trip home included a side trip to see the New River Gorge steel arch bridge, the third longest steel arch (1,700 ft. span) bridge in the world. The bridge constructed between 1974 and 1977 carries US Highway 19 at a height of 876-feet above the New River. After seeing the bridge, we drove to the construction entrance of The Summit and posed for a final group picture before heading back to Greensboro and the comfort of a bed and air conditioning.
A fantastic week of cheerful service!
