After a one-year of absence, English teacher Mr. Michael Roman returned to Rancho Cucamonga High School for the 2023-2024 school year. Many students and teachers were ecstatic about his return and wanted to learn more about his adventure, and most importantly where he traveled and why he left in the first place.

Roman, who has taught at the Chaffey Joint Union High School District for 17 years, gave a little insight into why he took a year of absence in the first place. He took time off teaching to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

“For about a decade before I left, I got interested in the Pacific Crest Trail and in that decade I got better as a hiker and a camper,” Roman said. “So it’s something I basically grew into something I wanted to do.”

The Pacific Crest Trail starts in southern California at the Mexico Border and runs through Oregon, Washington, and up to the Canadian Border. It is a total of 2,650 miles, and many consider it to be very rigorous and challenging. The trail generally takes an entire snow-free season to walk, which is about 5 months.

Roman said that he is currently only about 30% done with the trail, and that he plans to finish it in the next two summers.

Roman also explained how the growing troubles of climate change also were a factor in his decision hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

“The world was on fire, and the simple fact is the stuff I wanna see, some of it is no longer there,” Roman said. “So I wanted to see what I could before climate change changed it all.”

Roman didn’t want to live with the regret of not being able to see some of nature’s beauty. He said he felt he had to hike on the trail the time he did so he could witness what he could. Roman described the experience as, “life-affirming” and has a message for all students of RCHS.

“Slow down, unplug when you can, and then get out so that way you can really experience nature,” Roman said.