Photo courtesy of Trek for Troops ON A MISSION—On May 6 three Westlake High graduates, from left, Paul Rose, Scott Williams and Matt Walker, began walking from Campo, Calif., to Canada in an effort to assist wounded veterans. They have encountered rattlesnakes and nearly been pummeled by tumbling boulders.

They've almost fallen off cliffs, walked for hours in high desert heat and withstood howling winds that unearthed their tents at night.

Westlake High graduates Paul Rose, Matt Walker and Scott Williams are not starring in a blockbuster movie this summer.

They are participating in a fundraiser, Trek for Troops.

Trek for Troops, a nonprofit organization incorporated on April 2, is a group dedicated to raising money for injured U.S. military veterans.

In an effort to increase awareness of the plight of injured veterans, Rose, Walker and Williams recently started the approximately 2,650-mile walk that will take them from Campo, near the U.S.Mexico border, to Manning Park of British Columbia, Canada.

Along the way, the friends— who all participated in choir at Westlake—sing patriotic and popular songs to anyone passing.

"We've never treated veterans correctly since this country was founded," Rose said by cellphone on Monday morning, just outside of the Cajon Pass.

"It's about time the richest nation in the world fixes the problem. We want to be part of the solution."

The three friends began their journey May 6 at Campo in San Diego County, where they reached under the border fence and touched Mexican soil.

Hiking between 20 and 30 miles per day, the trio expects to arrive in Canada in early September.

The journey has been eventful, Rose said.

"It's been crazy," said Rose, 23, who earned his undergraduate degree in kinesiology from Cal State University Northridge.

"The California desert is very unforgiving. We're not experienced backpackers, so we knew it was going to be hard. We're surviving, but it's certainly not easy."

When the friends started walking at night due to extreme daytime temperatures, Walker nearly fell off a cliff. The 22-year-old stumbled on a branch, but the same branch stopped his plunge.

Walker ended up dangling on the side of a mountain.

Last week, the friends heard a loud rustling in the bushes.

"All of a sudden, there was a boulder rolling down smashing things," said Walker, who plans on studying psychology at UC Berkeley at the conclusion of the trek. "If we were 15 feet further behind on the trail, that would have knocked (us down.)"

Rose's brother, Erik, the president of the nonprofit, said the group has raised $30,000. Their goal is to raise more than $100,000 by the end of the journey.

One of the charities Trek for Troops will aid is another nonprofit, Homes for Our Troops.

"We wanted to do something new and something inspirational," Erik Rose said. "We want to make a change and really make a difference. We're all young kids and idealistic, but we all work hard."

Williams, 23, wrapped up his time at Westlake in 2002 before enlisting in the U.S. Navy.

Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Williams moved to the states when he was 14 and joined Rose and Walker on the Warriors' soccer team.

"He's really passionate about what we're doing," Rose said of Williams. "We feel lucky that he's come home sound in mind and body."

Williams completed an eightmonth tour of duty in Iraq and was also stationed in Sasebo, Japan.

The friends are happy to be doing something together—and for a good cause.

"I just moved back six months ago from Northern California, and we were really excited to be reunited as best friends again," Walker said. "We wanted to do something wild. We thought hiking across the country would be a great thing to do. But we had the potential to do something good.

"It's definitely been eventful. There are a lot of things you have to watch out for. It's definitely been a wild learning experience."

For more information on Trek for Troops, visit the website www.trekfortroops.com.