Boy Scout Troop 467 will attempt to set a national record for their organization June 20 by hiking 91 miles in five days.

This amount of miles in five days has never been completed by a group of Boy Scouts, said Tom Mallory, who will be joining his son Daniel with the rest of the group on the trip.

The scouts, based in Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Buckhead, will be backpacking the Bartram Trail, which runs through North Georgia into western North Carolina. The group will ascend a total of 15,000 feet and descend 14,000 feet.

Mallory, who has been hiking with most of the boys since they were in the fifth grade, noticed when the boys were in middle school that they were all strong and athletic hikers, he said. He said he knew for a long time that the group was capable of big adventures.

“The boys are mentally tough, enthusiastic, and very team oriented,” said Mallory.

Helping lead the team with Mallory will be Aaron Kala, an Eagle Scout and former member of Troop 467. Kala just finished his freshman year at Rhodes College and returned to join his younger scouts for the hike.

To prepare for the hike, Mallory and the boys began training months ago. Besides exercising individually, the group has run several short test hikes over terrain similar to what they will tackle later in June.

“We’ve been doing all of the training, so I think we have a shot,” said Kala.

The boys are also using this record-setting goal to raise money for needy Boy Scout families that might have to pull a scout out of the program because they cannot afford the expenses.

Mallory said even though the boys are prepared for this trip, it will be different than every other one because there will be little room for error. He said when hiking 20 to 25 miles per day, starting late, forgetting equipment and other mistakes can cost the group precious time.

The boys who range from ages 16 to 18 all have a variety of experience in athletics and outdoor activities. Daniel Mallory is the MVP of his high school cross country team. Joey Gabianelli participated in a bike trek from Georgia to Los Angeles last summer. Four of the boys are varsity rowers and many of them have participated in High Adventure Scouting in Utah, North Carolina and New Mexico.

The boys said they all agreed that they are excited about the upcoming trip.

“If anybody can do it, they can,” said Mallory.