Jennifer Pharr Davis, a long-distance hiker, author, speaker and previous National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, spoke recently in Midland about her experience hiking the Appalachian Trail. An inspiring woman on a mission, she's hiked thousands of miles spanning six continents and runs
Blue Ridge Hiking Company in Asheville North Carolina. We caught up with Pharr Davis after her talk to discuss her adventures, her advice for getting started and her new book, The Pursuit of Endurance.
If you missed her recent talk in Midland, you can view it online here. (Warning: May cause the desire and pursuit of spontaneous adventures.)
A: I get inspired by all the people in my book – Warren Doyle, who's hiked the Appalachian Trail 18 times, David Horton, who's inspired thousands of others to get into trail running, Scott Williamson, who overcame such a challenging childhood to do some extraordinary things on the Pacific Crest Trail, women like Heather Anderson who used the trail to defeat her self-image issues, Scott Jurek, who's an amazing athlete and has wonderful things for our sport. I also get inspired by working moms like Serena Williams and friends like Kellisa Kain and her dad Chris who have had incredible adventures in spite of her physical disabilities.
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Q: Finding the outdoors in your early twenties, what would you tell people just starting out?
A: Pursue adventure on your own terms! Whatever makes you happy, whatever you're comfortable with, start there and don't worry about what other people think. For some people, walking a half mile in the woods might be a huge accomplishment. For others, it might be tackling their first overnight trip. You've got to start somewhere. Just push yourself a little and see where it leads you. I'm not sure my husband Brew ever thought he'd be a long distance hiker but he got into it gradually and now he absolutely loves it.
Q: Investing in adventures for many years, what is on your bucket list?
A: I've still got so much I want to do, most of the things on my list center around long distance hiking. Later this year I'll finish my Pinhoti Trail hike across Alabama and Georgia. Next year I'm thinking of doing a trail in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. I hope to finish my Continental Divide Trail section hike before too long. There are so many trails abroad that I'd love to complete. But we've spent the last four months on a book tour through New England, the Mid Atlantic, Plains States, Rockies and Great Lakes – there's so much more I want to see of our country. We're incredibly lucky to live in a country with amazing natural resources. We'd be crazy not to want to take advantage of it and protect it!
Q: You mentioned in your talk about 25% of people complete the Appalachian Trail, have you started something in your adventures that you did not finish?
A: Hmm. That's a good question. Nothing jumps to mind. I'm pretty determined in hiking and in life. There are things that I've thought "I don't have time for that right now" or "that's something I might have liked to do before kids but now that I do I'm less interested in it." But there's nothing so far that I've started without finishing. At the moment I'm trying to run a sub six minute mile. I've just started training so maybe check back with me in a few months.
Q: Adventuring with kids now, what is your advice for others wanting to get out with little ones?
A: Just do it on your own terms! We're absolutely in the thick of it with a five year old daughter and almost two year old. Our daughter Charley likes to hike with other kids and do "urban walks" (aka, shopping) so we lean toward that. Our son Gus wants to pick up every stick and throw every rock he comes across. Which means he has a blast in the woods but we rarely get more than a half mile with him. I like to say in my talks "the trail is there for everyone at every phase of life." This is the phase of life we're in right now so we just hike slowly – and not very far – and enjoy things as much as we can!
Q: You've run Blue Ridge Hiking Company for 10 years, what has been the most rewarding hike to see someone have on your watch?
A: I started Blue Ridge Hiking Company to make the wilderness accessible and enjoyable for people of all backgrounds and we've gotten thousands of folks on the trails of Western North Carolina over the past ten years. There's no one hike that I'd point to, but I take so much satisfaction from having people who are underrepresented in the outdoor community doing things they didn't think was possible – an African American couple getting out of their comfort zone and climbing a 6,000 foot mountain on their honeymoon, a woman who's visually impaired making it to the top of Mt. Pisgah, a child with Downs Syndrome completing a five mile hike with her family. Those things bring a huge smile to my face and make me excited about the next ten years.
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