INDIANAPOLIS -- Tuesday was another training day for Andrew Brake at Marrott Park in Broad Ripple, where he's preparing for the hike of a lifetime.

The 26-year-old Indianapolis man has been walking Hoosier paths so that next month, he can walk the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be a 2,650-mile trek stretching from the low deserts of California to the mountains of Washington.

"It'll be a long way," Brake said.

Roughly 300 hikers attempt to cover the full length of the PCT every year. An average of 180 hikers a year succeed, and Brake is determined to be among them.

He will step off from the California/Mexico border on April 25. His journey will zigzag across three states over the next several months.

"There's a short window to do it because the snow starts coming in early up north, so I'll have to finish in October," he said.

Until the snow flies, Brake will wear hiking sandals.

"I don't have to wear socks. That means I don't have to clean my socks at the end of the day," he said.

Less is more when everything you need has to be put on your back. Brake will wear a backpack filled with sleeping gear, food and a tiny stove.

"Everything is about weight, obviously," he said.

Traveling light is something Brake learned when he completed the Appalachian Trail in 2005.

When 6News Staying Healthy reporter Stacia Matthews asked Brake what he did to keep from getting bored, he replied with a smile.

"It's real nice scenery. It changes every day," he said. "For me it's better than being inside."

But this hike will be more than a picturesque walk through the woods.

Inspiring Andrew to go the distance are his aunt and girlfriend's mother -- two breast cancer survivors. His PCT hike is a fundraiser for breast cancer research.

"People need help, and if I can help them some way, why not?" Brake said.

Brake is accepting donations on his Web site, www.curethruhiking.com, where you also can track his journey. Donations will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Center Cancer Foundation.