While a lot of their college friends are likely spending this holiday weekend at the beach or some other recreational location, Jordan King and Kyle Donaldson will be continuing a journey by foot and on bicycle that will take them from one end of North Carolina to the other.

King and Donaldson, graduates of Cape Fear High School and now students at Appalachian State University, are walking the Mountain to Sea Trail in North Carolina, from the Outer Banks to the Great Smokies.

They aren’t doing it for exercise or for fun, they’re doing it to raise money for the Agape Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Fayetteville, Clinton and Raeford.

They are asking people to pledge any amount they can per mile for the walk that should run close to 930 miles when they get to the finish, sometime in mid-August.

King said he got the idea for the cross-state hike when he saw a sign about the trail while on a hike near Boone. They decided to make it a charity walk for the pregnancy centers because both were familiar with the work Helen Rogers has done there.

The centers provide assistance to pregnant girls and women of all ages, encouraging adoption instead of abortion and offering parental counseling. Both Donaldson and King worked as volunteers at the center in their high school days at Cape Fear.

The two got together a couple of times a week to workout before starting the walk, but they were slowed somewhat when King suffered a foot injury while fishing at Fort Fisher. The injury forced him to take a break.

They began their trek June 16 at Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks. They reached the outskirts of Kinston last weekend and took a couple of days’ break from the walk to return home.

King said the two try to make about 12 to 15 miles per day. They plan to bike some sections of the journey and hope to increase to 25 or 30 miles per day when they do that.

They’ve been getting help from a number of sponsors along the way, people who give them a place to stay for the night and a meal. Some people are also helping them transport their bikes so they don’t have to carry them when they are walking.

They’ve already encountered a few interesting stories, King said. At Rodanthe on the Outer Banks, they helped build a church and repair its kitchen.

One day, they got a lift from a passing sheriff. Then, there was the night they stayed at a hotel and had an unexpected encounter with a prostitute.

One of their most rewarding experiences came at a small Assembly of God Church on the island of Ocracoke. The congregation was small, only 21 members, King said, but they gave the walkers a free meal and donated $250.

King said it’s been like that all the way, so far. “We’re staying with Christian folks,’’ he said. “The whole body of Christ is coming together to help us out. It’s the whole picture rather than just one element.’’

Aside from raising money for the pregnancy center, Donaldson hopes the walk is going to help him along his spiritual walk in life.

“I’ve just been looking to find my heart with God,’’ he said.

He’s also been glad for chances to share his faith on the walk. One man who offered the pair a ride told them he wasn’t a believer. He and King spoke with him about it as they rode.

“We got to plant the seed, and God grows the tree,’’ Donaldson said. “God does the big things. I’m just the seed planter.’’

Donaldson realizes he and King could be spending their time this summer on more enjoyable personal pursuits, but he said that’s not the most important thing to them.

“God loves us so much, we want to show people what this love is all about,’’ he said. “If that means changing somebody that was doing crazy things, being wild, going to the beach, to being selfless, that would be awesome.

“The main thing is to let Christ work in them and dwell in them, show them what Christ does, what his love is all about. Christ does the rest.’’