“Pick a dream and give up everything to chase it with reckless abandon.”
— Gonzaga alum Joe Matelich (’10)
Whenever a moment of trepidation, however fleeting, creeps into his mind or someone tells him his bold endeavor is absurd, David Dunphy simply recalls the advice of a friend and mentor.
“You can do whatever you want,” Joe Matelich, a 2010 graduate of Gonzaga, told him. “You just have to have the courage to ignore the pressure of others’ expectations and follow your dreams.”
With that in mind, Dunphy is joining close friend Nate Garberich for an ambitious outdoor adventure the likes of which neither has ever attempted. The recent Gonzaga graduates — both received their degrees this past spring — will hike a 500-mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail beginning in early September.
“Some of my best mentors are constantly reminding me to slow down, to be present, to feel,” Dunphy said. “Backpacking allows you to do that.”
This grand undertaking will serve multiple purposes, providing Dunphy and Garberich a unique opportunity for adventure, reflection and personal growth. Ultimately, though, they hope Gonzaga Outdoors benefits the most from their enterprise. They have created the Xtreme Stewardship Fund and are using the excursion to raise money and awareness for Gonzaga Outdoors. The fund will be dedicated to fostering the development of the next generation of conservationists through projects, internships and educational resources and experiences.
“Gonzaga Outdoors has allowed me to see the transformative power of outdoor experiences,” Dunphy said. “I’ve learned about being a part of a passionate, self-directed team — really, a family — that serves their community.”
Donations to the Xtreme Stewardship Fund can be made by visiting the fund’s facebook page or gonzaga.edu/giveonline. Facebook is also where Dunphy and Garberich will provide updates during their trek across Washington.
“It’s not by chance I had the opportunities I had at Gonzaga,” Dunphy added. “It is the direct result of people’s time, energy and dedication. I want to provide those same opportunities — or better ones — for future Zags.”
Gonzaga Outdoors provides students affordable access to the outdoors by providing inexpensive gear rentals, subsidized outdoor adventures and educational clinics. The program’s goal is to give as many students as possible the opportunity to enjoy the local surroundings.
“I personally think GU Outdoors is one of the strongest and well-run organizations on campus,” Garberich said. “It’s one of Gonzaga’s best-kept secrets.”
Gonzaga Outdoors is actually how Dunphy and Garberich, both from the Seattle area, met. Their first shared outdoor experience came during Gonzaga-Out-Of-Bounds, a pre-orientation trip for incoming freshman. Now, four years later, they are girding for their greatest adventure to date.
The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles long, stretching from the Canadian border to Mexico. Its corridor, which passes through Washington, Oregon and California, closely follows the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. The route’s elevation varies from 140 feet at the Cascade Locks in Oregon to 13,153 feet at Forrester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The trail, designated in 1968 but not completed until 1993, passes through 24 national forests and seven national parks.
Traversing the entire length of the trail usually takes most hikers between four and six months. The Pacific Crest Trail Association estimates that it takes those hikers six to eight months just to plan their trip. Among the critical aspects for which hikers must account include proper fitness training and experience level, severe weather, wildlife, potential dehydration, resupply points, pack load and trail difficulty, which ranges from moderate to strenuous. It is estimated that approximately 180 of the 300 hikers who attempt to cover the trail’s entire distance each year are successful.
“I have done multiple day backpacking excursions in the past, but this will be a different beast,” Garberich said. “… Our legs will wish they had a different owner and we will smell worse than a bathroom in DeSmet (Hall) on a Saturday morning. So basically, it’s going to be awesome.”
Garberich and Dunphy plan to navigate the Washington portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. They will start at Manning Park, just 9 miles inside the Canadian border in British Columbia, and follow the Cascades down to the Columbia River on the Oregon-Washington border. They will begin their 500-mile journey shortly after Labor Day and, if they maintain their plan of traveling around 15 miles per day, will finish Oct. 4. Not coincidentally, that day happens to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment.
“We intend on making this more than just a physical hike,” Garberich said. “The hope is to make it a philosophical journey, an inquiry into the self, an attempt to discover what we want to do with our lives.
“Because honestly, I am still not sure,” added Garberich, who majored in political science at GU.
Dunphy, who graduated with degrees in environmental studies and business administration, says, “In the future, I plan to be happy. I haven’t figured out the details yet, but if you have any ideas or opinions let me know.”
Since graduating, and even prior to that, Dunphy and Garberich have relied heavily on the collective wisdom of their mentors. That has included Matelich, who they met through a class in Gonzaga’s Comprehensive Leadership Program, and Father Bill Hausmann, S.J., with whom Garberich became acquainted while working in University Ministry. Father Hausmann would regale Garberich with the escapades of his youth, including one such venture where he and some friends hitchhiked across the country. Then, on a whim, instead of turning around and heading home, they decided to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and tour Europe via motorcycle.
“It’s an amazing story,” Garberich said, “and it’s apparent from the way he tells it that it’s one of the memories he really cherishes in life.”
The friends are eager to make their own indelible memories on this trip, even if “some of my friends think it’s absurd and some of my friends think I need to grow up,” Garberich said.
But Garberich and Dunphy know this is the perfect time to attempt such a feat. Before long, the constraints of adult life will take over.
“A philosophy teacher told me that throughout your life you get time, money and energy — and usually you have two of the three, ” Dunphy said. “Right now, I have time and energy.”
And Dunphy and Garberich plan on following all the sage advice they have received.
“Own your future,” Matelich told them. “Don’t let anyone else touch the canvas of the picture you are painting.”