A 50-mile hiking odyssey had come to an end, an hour earlier than projected, and Wells was glad.

"Being glad is an understatement," Wells said. "I wasn't sure I was ever going to see it."

Wells, lodge adviser for Occoneechee Council Neuse River District Order of the Arrow Lodge 104, had just emerged from the woods along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. He and Eugene Zack, Larry Layton and Andy Yeh had hiked for 23 hours, beginning 2 p.m. Nov. 26.

"It was long, very long," said Yeh a few minutes after arriving at base camp at the Falls Lake Dam, where the hike started and ended.

Yeh was most looking forward to taking a shower, he said.

Scouts and adults hiked overnight to raise money for the Charley Sullivan Training Center at Camp Durant near Pinehurst. Some of the money will also go to the USO and to Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Participants and supporters raised $5,000, Wells said.

Training for the hike

A week before the event, Wells, Zach, Yeh and Barry Bowman made a 12-mile training hike.

"Hiking is a lot slower than cross country running," Bowman said during the training exercise.

Yeh liked the slower pace. "It is relaxing and gives me a chance to see the scenery," he said.

Yeh and Bowman, both 15, are in Boy Scout Troop 212 in Cary. They run cross country for Green Hope High School, but their longest training hike had been a 26-mile trek that took 11 hours.

Neither boy could imagine what it would feel like to cover 50 miles, or to hike through the night. "Staying awake all night will be my biggest challenge," Yeh said.

Journey complete

After it was over, he admitted being in the woods at night was spooky. "On one part of the trail, I felt like I was fading in and out of consciousness," he said. "I'm thankful I didn't run into anything."

His young body held up well. "Only the bottoms of my feet ache," he said. "Otherwise, I feel fine."

Yeh's mom, Michelle, credited his characteristic persistent nature for getting him through the hike.

"Stubborn and determined, yes, that's our Andy," she said. "He did very well."

Wells was proud of everyone who participated, especially those who fell short.

"The Boy Scout Oath says 'On my honor, I will do my best,' " Wells said. "These boys and adults really did their best. Some of them are cross country runners, but most are not trained athletes. This hike helped them feel like they had done something extraordinary."

Incredible feat

The idea for a big Boy Scout hike had been swirling around in Wells' head for a long time after he heard about some scouts in the Fayetteville area who had completed a similar feat in the 1970s and '80s.Wells found it hard to believe, so he and his son hiked the entire route a year ago just to prove it could be done.

Nearly 30 Boy Scouts and adults signed up for the hike. Some of them divided up into relay teams, carving the 50-mile distance into four 12.5-mile chunks.

Organizers set up eight aid stations that doubled as check points throughout the route. The out-and-back route started at the Tailrace area at Falls Dam, and wound its way northwest as far as the Falls Lake State Recreation Area before turning back.

If anyone had told Yeh a year ago that he'd spend nearly 24 hours on one 50-mile hike, he would not have believed it.

"I learned that anyone can do anything they put their mind to," he said. "We were like that story about the little engine that could."

Wells is pretty sure he'll plan another hike next year, but after the recent adventure ended, he found his comfort zone, relaxing in a camp chair and enjoying a lunch of soup and muffins.

"It feels so good to sit down; I might never stand up again."