POTSDAM -- If you have bumped into a group of students at SUNY Potsdam climbing the stairs in Raymond Hall with large backpacks, they may have appeared out of place in the administrative building stairwell.

But with Raymond Hall's nine flights of stairs (including the basement), it clocks in as the tallest building in St. Lawrence County, which makes it a perfect training site for SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education students' upcoming 20-day mountain traverse of the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. Now, they're holding a Stairs-A-Thon to train and raise money for the trip.

Their Stairs-A-Thon will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, and involves carrying a 40-pound pack for as many laps on the stairs as they can manage in three hours. Pledges can be made on a per-lap or flat rate basis.

To donate toward the trip, checks can be made out to SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education Leadership II.

For more information on the group, visit to www.leadtwo.yolasite.com.

To learn about the Wilderness Education minor offered at SUNY Potsdam's School of Education and Professional Studies, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS/CommunityHealth/minorwildernesseducation.cfm.