The Crucible Hike

Imagine a group of 100 people tackling the Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands Trail for a 3-day, 70.5 mile extreme hike with a full gear pack – and the adventure in The Crucible begins. This 3-day extreme journey through some of Pennsylvania’s most spectacular scenery is not for the feint of heart, but your life won’t be the same after you’ve participated in The Crucible. It’s a journey of passion, determination and personal triumph, as much as it’s an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of local Veterans who are in need of housing, employment and supportive services.

The 70-mile hiking trail stretches along the picturesque Laurel Mountains from the Conemaugh Gorge near Johnstown, PA where you can hike along a rocky footpath and dirt road through mountain laurel to the edge of a 1,000-foot gorge at 2,400 feet to the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle – located at the southern reaches of the Laurel Ridge, encompassing rugged natural beauty providing some of the best whitewater in the eastern United States, as well as spectacular scenery.

The Crucible hikers will have access to overnight shelter areas with food, medical attention and plenty of campfires and stories – where new friendships will be forged. The physical and mental challenges associated with the 3-day event mirror the timeless military credo – “we’re all together on this”.

Hikers will spend the night at base camp on Thursday, 12 September and the 70 Mile Hike will start bright and early on Friday, 13 September and ends the afternoon of 15 September.  The first day each hiker will hike 24 miles, the second day each hiker will hike 27 miles, and the last day each hiker will hike 19 miles.  The 11 mile sprint will take place on Sunday, 15 September.

Each hiker that participates in the Crucible Hike is raising money for the men and women who come to Veterans Leadership Program (VLP) during their critical time of need.  Each year, VLP serves more than 8,400 local Veterans through 16 comprehensive housing, career development, supportive services, and wellness programming to assist Veterans to reach their fullest potential in their civilian lives.