JOHNSTOWN, PA. -- For Pittsburghers, at this time of year, the sun comes up over the city's eastern hills around Monroeville.

But 50 miles farther toward the dawn looms the ultimate Western Pennsylvania hill: the Great Laurel Ridge. Stretching from the Conemaugh River near Johnstown, southwest to the Youghiogheny at Ohiopyle, the ridge rises to 3,000 feet above sea level and defines the spine of the Laurel Highlands region. Its heights thwarted early exploration, shaped settlement and even today claim their own micro-climate. Except for Somerset County's Mount Davis, the highest point in the state, all else stretches away beneath the crest of Laurel Ridge.

Across the wet, warm summer of 2008, 19 adventurers got to know the ridge on intimate terms. Having signed on for a Venture Outdoors-sponsored hiking series called "The Quest," the group hiked the entire 70-mile spine along the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail in increments, spanning four counties in seven segments, all on Saturdays throughout the summer. The series culminated on Aug. 3 when, headed north, they each touched Mile Marker 70 near Johnstown to complete their Quest.

Kenn Howard is the Venture Outdoors Quest co-leader from Pittsburgh who came up with the Quest concept.

"I used to backpack the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail from end to end. But I began to have some back trouble and I couldn't carry a loaded backpack anymore," he said. "So I tried to find a way to hike the LHHT in a way that was not so physically demanding. Then it came to me. Do it without the pack! And why not invite 249 of my best friends?"

Howard's "best friends" include the 19 trekkers who hiked the whole trail, plus 230 others who joined the sequential expedition for various parts of the route.

Thirty-four hikers traversed the 11.5-mile section east of Ligonier, between Route 30 and Route 271 on July 26, one of the Quest's only outings without rain.

The few who hiked only that stretch got a typical impression of the Laurel Highlands Trail. The span features moderate climbs and descents, linked by long stretches of nearly level walking. Whether headed north or south, the trail confronts hikers with a similar challenge -- a major climb at the start and a big descent at the end, with 60-some miles of ridge running in between.

Single file, the hikers wound among house-size boulders, through miniature rock "canyons," and felt the soft lashing of fern fronds against their knees. Hastily gobbled handfuls of wild blueberries tempted the hikers to make impromptu stops.

For some, the Quest fulfilled a lifelong ambition.

"My parents live in Berlin, Somerset County, so I have been driving under the overpass that carries the Laurel Highlands Trail over the [Pennsylvania] Turnpike for 30 years," said Lynn Maust of Canonsburg. "Every time I passed under the trail, I thought to myself, 'I'm going to hike that trail someday.' When I heard about the Venture Outdoors Quest series, I knew this would be the year I'd do it."

For others, the Quest revealed both the expanse of Laurel Highlands landscapes, and the beauty and diversity of living things.

"It's just beautiful up there. There are some magnificent views from the ridge that take your breath away," said Lea Ann Fairall of McMurray, who, like Maust, completed the entire trail. "On one of the early hikes, we saw so many types of mushrooms. I never knew so many different mushrooms existed. I have photos of them all."

Fairall moved to Western Pennsylvania from Illinois a year ago. She said the move opened a world of outdoor opportunity she never knew existed.

"I'm just amazed by the beauty of the mountains and how green everything is," she said. "Any time you turn a corner or top a hill, you never know what beautiful sight is on the other side. In Illinois, you make four turns and you are back where you started. I was never an outdoors person before, but here it calls out to me and it brings out an adventurous side that I sensed was there. But nothing ever sparked it until this."

The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail's route along the crest crosses a patchwork of parcels in Ohiopyle State Park, Laurel Ridge State Park, Forbes State Forest, and State Game Lands 42 and 111. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Game Commission and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy have worked together to protect the trail corridor and maintain public access.

Quest co-leader Nanci Goldberg said the trail is an important link connecting people and nature in Western Pennsylvania.

"If you don't know [nature] is there, how will you care when it is gone? The LHHT is a gift. We need to protect it," Goldberg said. "It highlights much of what this region is, what it has to offer. It is a slice of wilderness in your own backyard. Too many people are suffering from 'nature deficit disorder.' The LHHT and the Laurel Highlands region are part of the cure."

The Quest was not easy, Goldberg said, but the hikers learned about themselves and the land in the process.

"[The hikers] learned to hike no matter the weather. One time we hiked in torrential rain for 4¹/₂ hours," Goldberg said. "We all felt a sense of pride when we were done.

"After that, any rain that threatened we felt like, 'Bring it on!' We can take it!"

Goldberg said Quest enabled participants to do something with others they may have never done by themselves.

"They found new abilities," she said.

"They learned how to dress for the weather, what food to bring, what boots to wear and how much water they needed. On some level, they got to know themselves in a new way ... a basic way."

Fairall, who has sampled several Venture Outdoors programs since moving to Pennsylvania, said her friends at work asked her if she had entered a mid-life crisis.

"I tell them that if I am, it's all right with me, because I'm having more fun than ever," she said.