Photos of 40-mile backpacking trek through the Wallowa Mountains

Last summer, Troop 224 from Sherwood, Ore., took an incredible backpacking trek through the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon.

The guys started at 4,300 feet and made their way all the way up to 9,500 feet, trekking more than 40 miles in the process. Along the way, they survived one of the most difficult descents in the Pacific Northwest, swam in a pristine mountain lake and made it to the summit of Eagle Cap peak.

Take a look at photos from their trip in the gallery below, and then read more about the planning and improvisation it took to complete the trek in the July 2014 issue of Boys’ Life magazine.