PET PROJECT: Materick rescued Banner from a New York shelter. Courtesy Bradley Materick

Bradley Materick’s hiking buddy was in a Plattsburgh, N.Y., animal shelter when they met last September. Neglected and emotionally troubled, 3-year-old Banner, a mixed-breed dog, had been at the shelter for a year, and his time was running out. “Teenage dogs, especially those with behavioral problems, are seldom adopted,” says Materick, ’96, who notes that more than 5 million shelter-housed dogs are euthanized every year.

Looking for a way to draw attention to the situation, Materick decided to go large: walk the entire length of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail with Banner alongside. The man and his dog embarked March 7 from the Mexican border on the six-month trip. As of early April, they had hiked roughly 450 miles through Southern California.

Materick hopes to average 15 to 20 miles per day, and has made specialized gear for Banner, including pad-protecting booties and a light-colored jumper to diminish the effects of the sun on hot days. He has developed a website, www.pctforpets.org, to build awareness and raise money for animal shelters.

A graduate student at the University of Vermont and a former Outward Bound instructor, Materick is looking ahead to the most challenging part of the trip: a 350-mile stretch in the high Sierra he plans to traverse on cross-country skis. He is confident in Banner’s ability after watching the dog cavort in deep powder during a weeklong ski outing with some Stanford friends last December. “He’s a natural outdoorsman,” says Materick.