Recently, two Baldwin High School Alumni decided to take the challenge and hike the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is 2,658 miles long starting on the California/ Mexican border. It travels through mountain ranges into the middle of California, Oregon and Washington and then another seven miles into Canada.

Luke Weaver, graduate of 2008 and David Tuley, graduate of 2009, recently completed this challenge.

Weaver said the first bit of inspiration he came across was from the stories he heard along the Appalachian Trail.

“Without going on that journey, I don’t think I could honestly fathom a hike on the west coast,” Weaver said.

He also said a large amount of encouragement came from a guest speaker who came to Baldwin Junior High School when he was in sixth grade.

“This guy had been all over the world, traveling with a curious sense of exploration, which really intrigued me. It was weird being told as a sixth grader to not worry about money and to get out and experience life,” Weaver said.

Along the sights and adventures that came with this hike, hard times came with it as well.

“The hardest part was staying motivated every day to try to walk 20 miles a day with about 50 or more pounds on our backs. The trail itself was challenging, gaining 4,000 feet of elevation in some climbs,” Tuley said.

Another difficulty they came across was crossing deserts with only 7-8 liters of water, and having to walk up to 30 miles without a water source. Weaver also said it was hard to explain his whole experience when he came back.

“Everybody wants to know what it was like… and there is honestly no way to explain,” Weaver said.

Although Weaver and Tuley faced these obstacles, they came out of the whole PCT experience with memories that will never be forgotten.

“My favorite part was the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in central California. We hiked up Mt. Whitney, which is the high point in the lower 48 states, so that was definitely a highlight,” Tuley said.

Weaver and Tuley both said the experience was something they will cherish forever.