CONNOQUENESSING TWP — This definitely wasn't hockey.

Charlie Beers, 16, a Butler High junior who plays inline hockey and Dek hockey, recently finished first in his 16-to-19 age group at the Susquehanna Super Hike.

The Super Hike, sponsored by the Keystone Trails Association, is a 25-mile hiking and running endurance event following trails along the Susquehanna Gorge in York and Lancaster counties. It involved more than 4,200 feet of elevation gain.

"My father has participated in a lot of events like that and he asked me if I'd like to try one," Beers said. "It sounded like fun, so I decided to give it a shot. I did nothing special to prepare for it. I just relied on my hockey conditioning."

What he wasn't counting on was the weather, which let him down.

"Man, it poured," Beers said. "It was pretty miserable out there. They had to string ropes across the creeks to help hikers get across, the water was so high."

Hikers normally have to navigate their way across a creek without any help, but the torrential downpour and rising water necessitated the rope to prevent injuries.

Beers said the first half of the hike was "scenic, a beautiful trail. We walked along the river and saw a waterfall."

The second half? Different story.

"We had to go over some rocks, climb hills — it was basically rock climbing," Beers said. "And the rocks were slick because of all the rain.

"We walked up and along some ridges. It was pretty wild."

Beers completed the hike in 7 hours and 12 minutes.

"You don't see many kids his age doing these hikes," said Steve Beers, Charlie's father. "It's mainly middle-aged people, even older than that.

"The only three pieces of advice I gave him were don't get hurt, pace yourself and have fun."

More than 200 people started the hike. Charlie Beers finished 51st overall.

There are two types of participants in these adventure hikes: runners and hikers. The runners want to get a good time. The hikers just want to finish the course.

"He started off with the fast group, the runners," Steve Beers said. "Charlie stopped to go to the bathroom, came out and the runners were gone. He did the last 13 miles of the hike by himself.

"I give him credit for that. It's easy to get lost when you're on these trails alone, especially if you're doing this for the first time."

Steve Beers, who takes part in about five adventure hikes a year, finished an hour behind his son

"He's been into it for a long time," Charlie Beers said. "I'll probably do another one sometime, but definitely under better weather conditions."

The Oil City Trail Run — a 50K, 50-mile or 100-mile event — takes place in October. The Rachel Carson Trail Challenge is a 34-mile hike from North Park to Harrison Hills Park in Natrona Heighs in June. Numerous other super hikes take pace in the tri-state area.

"You don't need to be a runner to do this," Steve Beers said. "I couldn't run a mile without getting really, really winded.

"You're always going to have a few runners show up looking for a competitive race. The rest of us just want to live to talk about it."