Why a 55-mile trek is a mandatory rite of passage for freshmen at one high school

On The Road Why a 55-mile Appalachian Trail trek is a mandatory rite of passage for these New Jersey freshmen .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-evening-news.jpg'); } By Steve Hartman Steve Hartman Correspondent Steve Hartman is a CBS News correspondent. He brings viewers moving stories from the unique people he meets in his weekly award-winning feature segment "On the Road." Read Full Bio Steve Hartman June 5, 2026 / 8:12 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google 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. Students from St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, complete a 55-mile Appalachian Trail hike. May 2026.  CBS News "The idea is tha...