A common recommendation from adults to college students is to take time "to see the world" while they're young and obligation-free. That advice was taken by Prior Lake native Shawn Grund, but maybe in a way not quite intended.

Grund spent most of May in Scotland. Being his first overseas adventure, he made sure to hit the big spots like Edinburgh and Glasgow, but it was the 200-mile hike from the west coast to the east coast in 14 days that really helped him "see the world."

"It's amazing; you're smack dab in the middle of nowhere - you can be in a town and an hour later you wouldn't even know a town nearby exists," the 21-year-old said.

The hike, called the TGO challenge, is in its 30th year.

The noncompetitive hike gives hikers 15 days to walk from coast to coast via any route they can devise. Scotland has open access laws, so backpackers don't have to worry about trespassing on private land. It also means there are no paved trails directing them.

"You constantly gotta be aware of what you're doing," he said. "You have to know where you are, where you're going and what should be next."

In spite of being a bit of a "techie," Grund relied on a paper map to get him from coast to coast rather than a GPS or other navigation device. His map-reading skills were ones he, reluctantly, developed while on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout.

"As a Scout, I hated backpacking," he said. "When 14 people have to strap on 60-pound packs, that's no fun."

There are about 300 people from around the world allowed to hike each year in the TGO Challenge, and each person's route has to be approved by an overseeing committee. Hikers can choose to get food along the way at little towns in between or bring everything they'll need with them.

As if the sheer feat of the hike itself weren't enough, Grund opted to take the hike unsupported and pack all the food and supplies he needed throughout the trip in his bag.

"It was another aspect of the challenge," he said. "By about the third day, I was regretting that decision. But it did get lighter and lighter as I went."

Grund started with about 45 pounds fastened to his back, and about 27 of those were food or cooking supplies.

The food consisted of things he could eat on the go, he said, including oatmeal to have in the morning while he could heat up some water, Snickers bars for "quick and fast energy," crushed Pringles chips and trail mixes.

But the 4,000 calories ate each day were enough to get him across the country.

"I had a water bottle and each time I would come across a source, I would just fill it up," Grund said. "If you're selective about your source, the water is fine."

Other things in his pack included a tent, sleeping bag and camera equipment.

There are some safety precautions built into the TGO Challenge. Each hiker has to call and check in with organizers a few times during the trip. People can choose to hike it alone or in groups of less than five.

"Everything I've ever been taught says not to do it by yourself," Grund said, but his trip was planned solo, anyway. "In Scotland, especially during the challenge, there are people all around that can help."

Grund spent the first leg of the trip on his own but later joined up with some other hikers.

"We were the younger group," he said. "It was fun because we would sleep in and let the other people get ahead and eventually we'd catch up later in the day."

The TGO Challenge has an age minimum of 18, but Shawn was the youngest this year at 21. The group he joined was comprised of people in their late 20s to early 40s. The average age for the challenge, he said, was about 65.

"When you're on the hike, you want everyone out there to succeed as much as you want to succeed," Grund said. "There's 300 of you in the same boat. You don't want anyone to have planned this trip for months and months and be there and not finish it."

As for his safety during the trip, Grund said he never felt like he would have to call the organizers and be rescued, but there were a few points when he was surrounded by potential danger.

At one point he had to channel his inner gymnast and walk across a 2-foot-wide dam in a river.

"At first I saw it and thought it looked fine, but once I got part way onto it, I realized how small it was. There was water on both sides. There were parts where water was leaking out - it didn't seem very well-maintained," he said.

Streams and dams weren't the only sources of water on the trip. Grund said it rained much of the time and left the ground wet. Staying dry, he said, was impossible. Wet socks left many blisters on his, and other hiker's, feet.

"It's better to just plan to get wet than to plan to try to avoid it," he said. "Eventually, hopefully, you'll dry."

In between the rain, there was intense sun in the hike through the mountains. Grund said the back of his hands got sunburned - the worst he can ever remember.

From about 4:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m., there was sunlight. In the middle of the night, it got just a little darker than twilight. Those hours helped push hikers along.

"It's late and you're still walking; you hate to waste daylight," he said. "In the States, you're pretty dictated by the hours of light you have."

Light isn't the only difference between Scottish and American hiking. What's in each hiker's pack, he observed, is very different.

An example that stood out to him was the vast difference of contents in his pack when compared to Scottish packs.

"They bring everything they might need," he said. "In the States you're taught to travel as light as possible; that might mean being uncomfortable, but you'll be able to survive. For them, they see such different climates and terrains they bring items they might potentially use."

He added others also pack "luxury" items like tea bags to have a cup of hot tea in the morning.

The 2006 Prior Lake High School graduate said while this was his first long trek, he has hiked from Canada to his college town of Duluth.

Which is part of the reason, he said, some of his friends didn't understand why he would "want to travel halfway around the world, when I could do it here.

"There have been attempts to do something like this in Yellowstone," Grund said. "But without open access laws, it just doesn't work."

His family was on board partly because he downplayed the potential danger when pitching the hiking expedition idea to his family, including Tom and Angie Grund and Robyn and Paul Kramer, all of Savage.

While he's not sure when, Grund said he would like to take the hike again in the future. He would likely take a slightly different route to see more of the countryside.

In spite of many months of studying satellite and terrain maps to perfect his route, there were some things he had to forgo on the trail.