Carlos Fulcher, '90, Organizes Appalachian Trail Hike To Reconnect With Alumni
By Tony Scott

Carlos Fulcher, in NIU cap, with the group during one day on the Appalachian Trail. (Photo credit: Carlos Fulcher)

When students arrive at NIU, they are immersed in a community of people who often begin as strangers. Together, they navigate challenges, build friendships and create memories that last a lifetime.

More than three decades after graduating, Carlos Fulcher, '90, wanted to recreate that experience.

The former NIU gymnast recently organized a weeklong Appalachian Trail adventure that brought together fellow Huskie alumni to hike 100 miles through Virginia's Shenandoah National Park. Like college, the journey would test participants physically and mentally while creating new connections along the way.

With a detailed plan developed by a small team of fellow alumni and others, the group completed the 100-mile trek over seven days.

The hiking trip grew out of an alumni reunion Fulcher hosted at his home in North Carolina's Outer Banks, where former NIU gymnastics teammates spent a week reconnecting and sharing stories.

"We had such a great time that I decided to bring us together again," Fulcher said.

Though he wasn't a serious hiker himself, Fulcher found inspiration in his sister, Celia, who lives in Portugal and had completed a portion of the Rota Vicentina, a network of trails along the country's coast.

"As she shared her experience, the idea was born and got the wheels moving," he said.

The Appalachian Trail segment through Shenandoah National Park seemed like the perfect challenge.

"The 100-mile length of trail seemed like a feasible distance and a nice goal," Fulcher said.

To turn the idea into reality, Fulcher assembled a planning team that included Celia; his brother, Felipe, who lives in Brazil; and fellow NIU alumni Bob Genis, '89, and Vincent Walsh, '92.

"The core team met virtually almost monthly for about nine months prior to the hike and created a very detailed plan, including daily trail maps, lodging info and activities," Fulcher said.

While the goal was ambitious, Fulcher was determined to make the experience welcoming and enjoyable rather than competitive.

"Anyone could participate and completion of the hike or hiking every day was never a goal, plus comfort was a must. I am too old for camping or roughing it!" he said. "We paid particular attention to the difficulty of the routes. Terrain and elevation have a huge impact on the difficulty of the hike, so we deliberately mapped out the daily routes to make it as easy as possible."

Fulcher reached out to more than 30 alumni he knew from college and throughout his professional career. Ultimately, eight participants joined the adventure.

For Fulcher, reconnecting with old friends was as rewarding as the hike itself.

"Life pulls us in different directions; it's just the way it is," he said. "I find it fascinating to learn about people's unique life journeys."

Each day, the group covered between 12 and 15 miles, hiking from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. One day was reserved for recovery, and evenings were spent sharing meals and stories. On one night, Fulcher prepared a Brazilian barbecue.

"Each day was unique," he said. "The park is so beautiful and well-maintained, and the overlooks and flora are incredible. We also benefitted from having someone hiking with us who was a self-proclaimed botanist and explained the flora along the trails. It made for interesting conversations."

Preparation for the trip varied among participants. Fulcher trained by hiking two or three times each week, while Genis followed a 10-month routine that included three seven-mile hikes every week.

Even so, the trail proved challenging.

"Walking in the flatlands of Northern Illinois is nothing like the Appalachian Trail," said Genis, who lives in Rockford and retired last year. "The first three days of our hike were hot and humid, while the last three days were cold and rainy. Both could be considered miserable conditions for a 13-mile hike, but good friends and interesting conversation made the time fly."

For Genis, the most memorable part of the journey was not the weather or the miles logged.

Most of the participants had never met one another before arriving in Shenandoah National Park. By the end of the week, that had changed.

"Most of us had not met before and we came from different backgrounds, kind of like the people I met at NIU," Genis said. "Being thrown into community with strangers, learning about others and yourself, and emerging friends is what my college experience was about."

That sentiment is exactly what Fulcher hoped to create.

A native of Brazil who came to NIU on a full athletic scholarship as an internationally competitive gymnast, Fulcher went on to build a career spanning multiple industries before founding the fintech company IMSI in 2008.

Looking back, he sees clear connections between his NIU experience and the Appalachian Trail adventure.

"Organization, foresight, teamwork and friendships are principles ingrained in me during my time in DeKalb," Fulcher said.

Those same principles guided the weeklong trek through Shenandoah. Alumni from different backgrounds and different stages of life came together around a common connection, shared a challenge and left with new memories and friendships.

Much like their time at NIU, the experience began with strangers and ended with a stronger community.

This is just one example of how NIU prepares students for a life of adventure. Discover how NIU is fortifying our future at niuforward.com.