Accomplishing a Dream On a Long Distance Trail

Author: Cara Lovell

Ann Lucke '02 and Joan Murphy '02, fast friends since their fateful placement as first-year roommates, took on their lifelong dream last May and hiked 1,732 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), from Mexico to Central Oregon, in 94 days. They shared planning tips, comical stories and anecdotes, delicious recipes, demonstrations of Pepsi-can stoves and inspiring advice with the Middlebury College community in a Middlebury Mountain Club presentation last Wednesday.

Lucke and Murphy were inspired to tackle the PCT while still in college by another Mountain Club presentation by alumni Dave Phillips of his hike down the Colorado River. The two seniors decided at the end of their sophomore year to take the second semester of their junior year off to work and plan their hike. They wrote in their presentation, "Dreams were put aside in the effort to concentrate on the demands of college study, but strong dreams cannot be put aside forever."

Lucke and Murphy set off just South of Campo, Calif., on May 6 — a day early because they couldn't wait any longer — each with 14 pounds of water, sneakers, packs including their specialty homemade energy bars and dehydrated hummus and shirts that were still white. By the end of their trip, their feet had grown a full size, and their shirts would be thoroughly brown. They averaged (factoring in rest days and some over 30 miles) 18.4 miles a day on the joint hiker and equestrian trail, which they modestly said was equivalent to 15 miles on Eastern terrain.

Lucke and Murphy said that the first half of their trip was focused more on taking in their surroundings and learning the lifestyle. They were immediately struck by the strength of the trail community. Lucke and Murphy bonded instantly with other hikers and still keep in touch.

They were also lucky enough to meet a number of "trail angels" — those who help hikers along their way, either intentionally or unintentionally. In fact, it was a trail angel who gave Lucke and Murphy their infamous trail name. A generous woman who offered to do their laundry declared that she "hadn't seen dirtier girls since '97", thus christening them "The Dirty Girls."

They found so much support on the trail that both Murphy and Lucke would have felt comfortable hiking the trail alone, and at one point even found themselves sick of people helping them. However, the support and true friendship offered by everyone they met served to renew their faith in humanity, and in America. Lucke commented, "The trail is a culture. And a lifestyle."

Lucke and Murphy never failed to absorb the incredible scenery as they adapted to their surroundings, as evidenced by their copious slides. One slide was taken after they stumbled across the words "Oh My God," written in stones with an arrow pointing behind them, and turned around to find a magnificent vista. They found the High Sierras to be the most scenic section of the trail and recommended the detour they took on the John Muir trail.

The second half of the trail gave more time for reflection and inner growth. Lucke and Murphy said that the greatest advantage of the long-distance trail was that they got to the point where the everyday world they had left entirely disappeared. They learned to appreciate simple details in each day, giving the example that the joy of eating a fresh apple could rival that of watching the gorgeous sunset in front of them.

Lucke and Murphy nicknamed the third quarter of the trail "The Doldrums," due to their lack of food and the surrounding burned forests. However, many events helped keep their spirits light, including "nude hiking day" on June 21 (which happened to be the one day they met kids on the trail), the "pancake challenge" (eating five pounds worth) and their only fight on the trail — over a bite of granola — which kept them laughing for the next nine miles.

When asked what they thought was most important for the Middlebury community to know about their trip, Lucke and Murphy emphatically responded that "anyone can do it," no matter what their physical shape or navigational skills. Both are happy to share their packing, planning and hiking tips with any interested students. They continued, "just jump into it!" and they know that many Middlebury students would. Murphy shook her head in admiration, "It's amazing the things people do here. It's incredible."