Maureen Murphy '88 feels most at home on the trails.

Last October, she added the Camino de Santiago to her already-impressive roster -- which also includes the Long Trail and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro she hiked with strangers who became family; this trail she hiked with her father, Bob Murphy '61. 

What is the Camino de Santiago?

A trail, a spiritual journey, a tourist attraction -- the Camino de Santiago is a route along the Galicia region in northwest Spain. 

For this Murphy duo, it was a return of sorts: Bob spent three years in Spain as part of his Air Force service following graduation. During their time in Spain, he and his wife Lynda welcomed their daughter, Maureen into the Murphy fold -- making Colleen Murphy '87 a big sister. Several years later, the birth of Shannon Murphy '94 would complete the ménage.

The impetus for this trip was equal parts whimsy, daring, and father-daughter bonding. While other Murphys weren't excluded, this wound up being an adventure best suited for Bob and Maureen.

"She's a real hiker," Bob reflects. "I'm just a runner. An aging runner. And I thought I could get in shape for what we were planning to do."

The Journey There

Historically, the Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, described a pilgrimage. Its network of routes and assortment of starting points all lead to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which is believed to house the remains of Apostle St. James the Great.

An emblem of the route is a scallop shell, seen on stone markers along its many paths, alerting medieval pilgrims and contemporary travelers alike that they are on the right path -- alongside some helpful, now famous, yellow arrows.

Despite the Camino's lack of a singular beginning, popular routes include the Camino Frances, starting in Sarria, and the Camino Portugues Coastal, starting in Vigo. Bob and Maureen went the Camino Frances route. To train, they increased their physical activity to sometimes multiple multi-hour hikes a day. Bob added walks and hikes to his already remarkable running routine.

The Unexpected

In spite of ample preparation and physical stamina, COVID-19 threw a wrench in their path. On the third of their five-day trek, Bob woke up with a scratchy throat. 

Lacking a diagnosis, he pushed himself on the trail that day and carried forth another seventeen miles.

"I figured, well, I still got plenty of energy," Bob remembers thinking that morning. "Let's do it."

By the end of it, though, Bob was listing to the left. Maureen "was trying to keep me from falling off the edge," by keeping him upright and on the trail.

Another surprise? The welcoming community. 

"Everyone you walk by, 'Buen Camino,' everyone's greeting each other," Maureen reflects. "And you go by so many restaurants and little shops that people built right on this trail."

The best part, they both agree, was the food. Particular standouts included the espresso and the Tarta de Santiago, an almond-flour cake, which Maureen now regularly makes in her Hinesburg home.

A UVM Legacy

Maureen graduated with a degree in computer science from the College of Engineering & Math in 1988.

Bob studied Civil Engineering during his UVM days. His ROTC training led him to the Air Force -- which, arguably, shaped the rest of his life.

Now, Maureen's son Jack carries the UVM family torch, completing his neuroscience degree in 2023.

"It was always interesting," Maureen reflects, "like when my son was going to be attending college, that he would have classes in buildings that I had attended classes. And so that was kind of cool."

More than anything, she is grateful for the friendships from her UVM days she still carries with her. 

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