On Saturday, Oct. 10, Virginia Tech’s first-year cadets completed the first phase of their cadet training with the fall Caldwell March.

The cloudy weather didn’t dampen the spirits of cadets as they walked the 13-mile route.

The march honors the first half of the 26-mile journey Addison Caldwell, the first student at Virginia Tech, made in 1872. First-year cadets will complete the second half of the march in the spring.

This year, cadet units were separated by 10 minutes to help maintain physical distancing along the route, which started and ended at Upper Quad.