Paul Hugus ’06 strapped a piece of duct tape over the throbbing blister on his foot and kept going. Hiking 17 miles a day in sandals across the 2,174-mile-long Appalachian Trail didn’t bother him, even though he could hear the people he passed each day laughing at his footwear.

Some days, he would see 50 people. Others, only three.

Hugus with sandals on AT marker painted on the trail.

So how did this Mathematics and Economics dual major who once dreamed of becoming a financial planner end up on the trail, boiling his water and pitching a tent for five months?

Hugus isn’t totally sure himself. As an Eagle Scout who ran cross country and track at McDaniel, he was naturally in shape. After graduation, Hugus took a job as a ranger at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, where a friend convinced him to return to the Hill and earn his teacher certification.

Hugus’ wilderness experience, plus the free summer before the start of the BEST Teacher Certification program, added up to the perfect opportunity for an adventure. He met two strangers and a silver Labrador retriever in his early days on the path, and the group trekked together.

“We were hiking through America’s backyard,” says Hugus. “Sometimes we passed through towns, sometimes it was rural. We passed so close to New York City that we could see the skyline and hop a train that would take you smack in the middle of Times Square.”

Hugus on McAfee Knob in VA.

There were dangers, like a lightning storm that hit while the trio was hiking above the tree line in the White Mountains.

“I was completely scared,” says Hugus. “I’m not much of a lightning guy, but we kept going and I’m glad we did.”

They faced snow, extreme heat and two weeks when it didn’t stop raining. They faced temptations like maple-syrup ice cream at a Vermont dairy that beckoned them to stay in civilization. But they never thought of quitting.

With no regular phone or Internet service and no car, they didn’t hear until after the fact about the remarks that got radio star Don Imus fired, the massive dog food recall, or the latest debate over Iraq funding.

“All the things people are arguing about don’t apply when you’re out in the wilderness,” says Hugus. “Out there, all you have to do is sleep, eat and take care of yourself.”

Now that he is enrolled in the BEST program, interning at Shiloh Middle School and hoping to become a high school mathematics teacher, Hugus reflects on the lessons learned from those long days walking from Georgia to Maine. Self-sufficiency, for one. But more importantly, Hugus has learned that people find different ways to reach a common goal. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the trail is the same, no matter if one has pulled up boots or strapped on sandals to get there.

The finish, on top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

Hugus crossing the James River footbridge.

Hugus during sunset at Lakes of the Clouds Hut in the White Mountains.