(Photo Caption) With mattock in hand, William Green, of Charlotte, spends a warm afternoon on March 13 breaking ground for the future 300-mile Cumberland Trail near Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.

Soddy-Daisy, TN- Cutting through endless roots and rocks at the edge of a Tennessee gorge, William Green, of Charlotte, spent his spring break from March 7-17 volunteering to help build the future 300-mile Cumberland Trail.

“It’s a good way to burn calories,” said Green.

Green, a sophomore majoring in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, joined a group of fellow students participating in a spring volunteer program hosted by the Tennessee Trail and Cumberland Trail Conferences known as “Breakaway.” The program allows college students to become a part of history as they devote their spring vacations to constructing Tennessee’s premier linear state park.

“I didn’t really appreciate the work that goes into a trail, but now I understand,” said Green. With the help of experienced builders, he used a fire rake and mattock to carve a narrow pathway though the Cumberland Plateau for future hikers.

All told, Green and his fellow volunteers were able to blaze one new mile of trail over the span of four laborious days. Amidst an expansive patch of poison ivy, the crew cleared trail, removed rocks the size of full-grown men, and built natural stone stairs to ease travel on steep mountain grades.

“Being outdoors and coming together with people of diverse backgrounds and bonding made this trip enjoyable,” said Green. Recognizing community service as good preparation for the real world, Green volunteered for “Breakaway” also to experience the mountains, which he had never had the opportunity to do before. He came away from the trip with a more serious environmental outlook. “You really have to be involved,” said Green.

Green’s service-learning endeavor not only changed his perspective on environmental issues, but also altered his perception of different groups of people. “I burdened myself with stereotypes. Being African American, I felt like I had to be on the outside, but I found people really receptive to my ideas and opinions more so than I anticipated,” said Green.

By 2008, the Cumberland Trail Conference hopes to have the Cumberland Trail completed. Volunteers like Green are the driving force behind attaining this goal. One of the non-profit organization’s mottos for the trail is “built by hikers for hikers.”

The Cumberland Trail not only will allow countless hikers to experience and appreciate nature, but right now through innovative construction programs, it’s allowing volunteers like Green to do so as well. For more information, visit: http://www.cumberlandtrail.org/