Why a 55-mile Appalachian Trail trek is a mandatory rite of passage for these New Jersey freshmen

Newark, New Jersey — The New Jersey city of Newark is no national park. For many, the only sights are the bumpers ahead while sitting in traffic, and the only hikes are at the whim of a walk sign. 

Yet here, of all places, is St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, a private high school that requires students to step way outside their urban comfort zone.

The students, many of whom have never been hiking or camping, are sent to the Appalachian Trail for five days with only “some adult supervision,” according to St. Benedict’s Prep school administrator Glenn Cassidy, who said he’s “willing to put money” that St. Benedict’s is the only school in the U.S. with such a program.

“[There is] some adult supervision, there might be some insurance companies watching right now,” Cassidy joked to CBS News. “But, yeah, the teams generally hike independently.”

The program is a mandatory rite of passage for all freshmen. They start training in early spring with exercise and teambuilding. Then they are broken into smaller units with a captain, a camp specialist, navigators, cooks and medics.

Each student is trained in a specialty, but none of them know everything they need to survive.

“We’ll learn how to work together in different ways and finish the task at hand,” one student preparing to complete the hike last month said.

“The idea is that they have to rely on one another,” Cassidy explained. “The only way we can get through this is if we work together and make it there.”

The 55-mile trek is now a 53-year tradition at St. Benedict’s. They do it shine or rain. In fact, the administration actually prefers rain.

“When life gets difficult, it’s something you can refer back to,” Cassidy said. “You know, there’s a lot of rainy days in life.”

In a world of helicopter parenting, this school still makes students rise on their own. And when they do, it is quite a sight. After five days of ups and downs, the students finished their hike in May and officially became sophomores.

Some were bruised. All were weary. Their shoes will never be the same. But neither will they, which was the real destination all along.