Andrew Brake's journey had not yet begun, but already his feet were grubby.

The 26-year-old Indy native and hiker made his way up and down the trails of Marott Park one month ago, the mud under his Birkenstocks turning to dusty dirt, thanks to a short burst of early spring sun. While he walked, he talked about the mammoth task he was about to undertake.

Right now, Brake is somewhere in California, attempting a thru-hike (a hike completed in one season) of the Pacific Crest Trail. The rugged path stretches the length of the country, from Mexico to Canada, southern border to northern, by way of California, Oregon and Washington.

"It's all marked, for the most part. It'd be kinda like this, I guess," said Brake, looking around at the little patch of wilderness on the Northside. "If you came to a 'Y' like this, there'd be a sign point that way for the PCT, and one pointing that way for another side trail."

But of course, it wouldn't be kinda like this at all. If you walked for a mile here, you'd hit a housing development or a strip mall. And if you stood still, you would see nothing more than a few dog walkers taking advantage of a hill and a dry creek bed.

The PCT, however, goes for 2,700 miles, through high and low desert, old-growth forest and alpine country. It cuts through scorching desert valleys in Southern California, rain forests in the Pacific Northwest, and six of the seven North American ecosystems. Right now, Brake is probably 500 miles north of the Mexican border, on his way toward the Sierra Mountains.

In 2005, Brake completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine (2,174.9 miles -- the final 0.9 of which, he said, was the longest). Owing mostly to the East Coast's brutal elevation changes, it took roughly five months, the time he expects to spend hiking the PCT.

"When I was in the Appalachian, I didn't want to think about hiking another trail," he said. "It's kind of a love-hate relationship."

Out there, step upon step, day after day, meditating over ramen noodles every evening, Brake has time to think. On the Appalachian, he thought about how he should have been hiking for a cause.

Brake instantly thought of his girlfriend's mother, who battled breast cancer 10 years ago, and his aunt, who is fighting the disease. He set up www.curethruhiking.com and started raising money to go directly to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

As of the start of his hike, Brake had raised more than $3,000. But he doesn't have his eyes on an amount.

"I guess, realistically, if I raised $10,000, I'd say that I accomplished my goal without ever setting one."

Do some good

To learn more about Andrew Blake's hiking trip or to donate money to his cause (funds go directly to Susan G. Komen for the Cure), visit www.curethruhiking.com.