In 2005, a hydroelectric dam collapsed in southeast Missouri and destroyed a two-mile portion of the Ozark Trail, creating an area called The Scour, which is strewn with rocks and dead vegetation.
A group of 10 Grinnell students contributed two weeks of restoration effort in the Taum Sauk portion of the trail, which boasts 1.5 billion-year-old mountains, igneous valleys, springs, and a natural swimming hole.
Matt Zmudka ’11 and Hannah Sagin ’11 organized the Alternative Break trip to give students the opportunity to devote their breaks to full-time service. Other projects that were part of the student-organized Alt Break program included trail-building in Bethesda, Calif.; conservation service in Kentucky; and urban poverty work in St. Louis.
The trip ended up being about more than rebuilding the trail; it became two weeks of forming relationships and bonding with fellow Grinnellians. While the group spent most of their days digging up rocks and rolling them down the surrounding hills, they spent their nights in an old forest service house with just enough space for everyone.
“Any time you stick 10 people in a small house together, you get to know each other really well. I really like everyone who went on the trip, so it was fun to form that community,” Sagin says, as Zmudka nods in agreement. “We could cook dinner each night, crowd around the picnic table and share our feelings — bonding with Grinnellians over break was certainly a highlight for me,” Zmudka explains.
The group members also took advantage of their weekend by driving to St. Louis to take in the zoo, the City Museum, and delicious ice cream. The combination of service, making new friends, and ice cream came together as a great way to spend a Grinnell College spring break.
