I’ve never been one to buy into the Fitbit craze, but, admittedly, I have from time to time become intrigued by this “count the steps” movement.

I mean, if I put in a good day of activity, whether it’s recreational or around-the-house work, I’d occasionally take a look at the number of steps recorded on my wrist appliance.

And 10,000 steps comes to mind as a good day, as I know I must have gotten pretty much done.

The intrigue of thousands of steps does, however, get me thinking, so much so that it made me think of the late Danny McLaughlin, the Summit Hill Junior High School principal whom I never knew, but I remembered a major accomplishment of his when I was just a kid.

Danny lived on Walter Street in Summit Hill, down the street from us, and the “steps craze” going on these days reminded me of him. Here’s why:

I was just a kid — 7½ years old — when Danny, then a month shy of his 69th birthday, walked 200 times around the quarter mile track at the Ginter Field not far from his house. That’s 50 miles!

According to an account by Al Thomas of The Morning Call, Danny joined the “50-Mile Hikers Club” that day, April 3, 1963, accomplishing a feat few his age would ever endeavor.

The story goes that he began his journey around 7 o’clock on a Tuesday night, when few townsfolk were aware of what he had planned to do.

People who were aware of the walk included Sgt. John Markey and Patrolman James Whitehead of the town’s police department, who made frequent visits to the track in the evening to check on Danny, while Police Chief Joseph Vermillion kept an eye on him during the day.

Danny walked and walked and walked, taking 10-minute breaks each hour, and at 3 a.m. Wednesday, he walked to his home a few hundred yards away, rested awhile, changed his shoes and went back to the track shortly before 5 a.m. Later, he went to the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, before returning to the track. He stopped for lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m., and then finished the 50-mile trek shortly before 5 o’clock that evening.

When I read Thomas’ account of the feat, I thought, “What an amazing accomplishment for anyone, let alone a 69-year-old.”

I didn’t know Danny, but he obviously was a special breed, and I thought his story was a great one to share.

A graduate of Villanova University, he started his career at the junior high school in 1925, teaching seventh and eighth grades, and was named principal two years later, holding that post for 32 years.

During his career, he was a junior high basketball coach, directed the elementary basketball program, and was also an assistant football coach at the high school.

But that’s not all.

Obviously well respected in the community, Danny was a Purple Heart veteran of World War I, having been wounded in action in France; was named the community’s “Outstanding Citizen” by Summit Hill’s Young Jeffersonian Club; received the Lansford AMVETS Certificate of Merit award; his interest in children was best reflected by a summer recreational program he inaugurated for Summit Hill youths in 1949; he was a past commander of American Legion Post 316; and he was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, where he was a past president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and former vice president of the Holy Name Society. He passed away in 1972 at age 78.

It was gratifying to recall Danny’s amazing life, and great to know the wonderful stature he held in our town.

As for his exercising ambitions, his story made me wonder about this “steps thing” going on today. I figure there are about 2,200 steps to a mile on my Fitbit, give or take, and immediately I thought, “How many (steps) did Danny take that day?”

At that pace, it had to be well over 110,000 steps in about 20 hours. That’s impressive, to say the least. I wonder how many of us can do that? I know I can’t.