Eagle Scout project blazes a trail

When 15-year-old Skyridge student Ethan Blood contemplated what he could do for his Eagle Scout project, he wanted to find something that would have a great impact on his community. Creating a trail from a Traverse Mountain neighborhood, through a steep, weed-covered field to Ignite Entrepreneurship Academy ended up being more than Blood bargained for, but it is going to have the impact he was hoping for, too.

“This trail is very important because kids are currently walking a mile around this area to get to school. When I was researching where to put the trail, I could see how close the kids had to walk to a 50-foot cliff. It’s very dangerous there – something needed to be done,” said Blood. Although Blood doesn’t go to Ignite Entrepreneurship Academy, he has three younger siblings attending the school.

Blood enlisted the help of Geneva Rock to get 120 tons of base material put down on a 450-foot long, 8-foot wide trail. The base material arrived in five dump trucks after Blood and his team had cleared the area of weeds and the trail had been graded by heavy equipment operators from Hadco Construction. Professionals from Focus Engineering & Surveying and Reynolds Excavation also volunteered their expertise to the project. Lowes donated shovels and rakes. Blood credits Dan Reeve of Perry Homes with helping him come up with the impactful Eagle Scout project and Reeve’s connections with professionals to help make the project possible.

“When I presented my project to the Eagle Scout Board, they said it was the most ambitious project they had ever seen. I’ve always wanted to get my Eagle and I’ve completed every merit badge I could. This has been a lot of work and I’m really grateful to all the people who have helped me. This trail is going to make it much safer for kids to get to school,” said Blood. The new trail to Ignite Entrepreneurship Academy runs through an area that has been set aside for a park. When the park is completed, Ethan Blood’s trail will be covered with asphalt to give it a more polished look.