In late May or early June, freshman Joseph Szalkiewicz and junior Taylor Team plan to conquer the strenuous task of climbing Mount Whitney. Mount Whitney is located in the Sequoia National Park in northern California and it is the largest mountain in the contiguous United States.

“The trail is 22 miles long and it’s one of the most enduring hikes in North America,” Team said.

Due to his love for hiking, Team decided to team up with Szalkiewicz in order to hopefully reach the summit of Mount Whitney.

“I am climbing Mount Whitney with the help of a Freshman here, Joey Szalkiewicz who is a very experienced climber and is going to help me train and hopefully accomplish my goal,”  Team said.

This strenuous climb takes months of preparation to be physically able to climb the mountain.

“I have to do a lot of training which will take a lot of time. I have to do a lot of local mountains first,” Team said.

Along with the physical challenges that hikers face along the trail, this hike is also mentally challenging.

“You have to go into it knowing you’re going to succeed,” Team said. “You’re going to want to turn back so many times but you have to just keep pushing yourself.”

Although Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the United States, Team feels very confident in himself and hopes that this climb will further deepen his love for hiking.

“Mt. Whitney, from what I heard, is if you do it, you want to push further and keep on going and doing other mountains,” Team said.

After Mount Whitney, Team plans on continuing his passion for hiking by climbing all around the world.

“There are many great peaks around the world,” Team said. “Hopefully I will be able to experience them one day.”