LITTLE ROCK — Since Pinnacle Mountain State Park occupies land largely made of shale and sandstone, no gravel had to be donated to carpet its new trailheads.
The big pile of dark gray shale at the Rabbit Ridge trailhead Sept. 11 was excavated in the park.
Nearby, Eagle Scout candidate Houston Brantley and his scoutmaster (and father) Randy Brantley squint askance at lowering clouds and await the arrival of the rest of Boy Scouts of America Troop 55. On this morning, Houston Brantley will fullfill his community service project requirement for the Eagle rank by persuading his buddies to do stoop labor.
“We’re basically just making a little trailhead for people to gather on here at the Happy Trail,” Houston explains. “ We’re referring to it as the Happy Trail.”
But he doesn’t yet know if he’s succeeded in the leadership part. Will the boys show?
Eventually along come Jacob Flournoy and son Sam, who is already an Eagle Scout. Sam considers Houston’s situation philosophically: “If not a lot of people show up, it will be hard, because it will just be me.”
But soon enough, other boys arrive and, stopping only to munch doughnuts and watch Houston and trail-builder Daron Harris measure angles using the level in a smart phone, they turn to with shovels and a wheelbarrow.
The rain holds off, and after three hours the Scouts have distributed shale along 75 feet of the trail opening, planted a drainage pipe and lined the approach with big stones. Houston’s mother, Cindy, suggested the stones.
Next step, paperwork, and Houston Brantley will be an Eagle.
ActiveStyle, Pages 32 on 09/27/2010