Freshmen Hike 55 Miles in Rite of Passage

New Jersey’s St. Benedict’s Preparatory School sends freshmen on a 55-mile trek along the Appalachian Trail, a mandatory rite of passage that pushes students out of their urban comfort zone.

The five-day hike, which has been a tradition for 53 years, requires students to work together and rely on each other’s skills to survive, with only some adult supervision. Students are trained in specialties such as navigation, cooking, and first aid, but none of them know everything they need to survive on their own.

Appalachian Trail Challenge

The program is designed to teach students the value of teamwork and self-reliance, with school administrator Glenn Cassidy saying that the goal is for students to learn to work together and rely on each other to overcome challenges. The hike takes place regardless of the weather, with the administration even preferring rainy conditions to simulate the difficulties of real life.

Students start training in the early spring with exercise and teambuilding activities, and are then broken into smaller units with assigned roles. The hike is a transformative experience that leaves students bruised and weary, but also changed by the experience.

The tradition is a unique aspect of St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, which is located in Newark, New Jersey, a city not typically associated with hiking and outdoor activities. The school’s approach to education emphasizes the importance of challenging students and helping them develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

Learning to Rise to the Challenge

The hike is not just a physical challenge, but also an emotional and psychological one, as students learn to work together and support each other through difficult times. The experience is designed to prepare students for the challenges they will face in life, and to help them develop the resilience and determination they need to overcome obstacles.

The success of the program is evident in the students who complete the hike, who emerge from the experience with a newfound sense of confidence and self-reliance. As they finish the hike and officially become sophomores, they are changed by the experience, and are better equipped to handle the challenges that lie ahead.