GARDNERS, PA - Long-distance hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis will recount stories of hardship and joy from her 46-day record hike on the Appalachian Trail when she speaks at the Appalachian Trail Museum on Friday, July 12, at 7 p. m.
"While her athletic accomplishment- averaging 47 miles per day- was impressive, audience members may be more captivated by Jen's positive attitude and her husband's unconditional support than by her ability to overcome shin splints, sleet, and sickness," said Larry Luxenberg, president of the Appalachian Trail Museum Society. "Her presentation, 'Called Again,' is not a boastful retelling of a record attempt, but a testament that the wilderness is available to everyone at every phase of life. As Jennifer likes to say, the value of a journey is not found in how far- or how fast- one travels but in the lessons learned, the relationships formed, and the memories made along the way."
Davis has hiked over 11,000 miles of long distance trails. She has trekked on six continents and currently holds endurance records on the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail and Bibbulmun Track. She is the first woman to be the overall record holder on the Appalachian Trail. She set this mark by hiking the 2,181 mile trail in 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes - an average of 46.9 miles per day.
In 2008, Davis was named Blue Ridge Outdoors Person of the Year. In 2011, Jennifer appeared in the Sunday edition of the New York Times; and on national television and radio shows such as CNN Headline News, the CBS Early Show, and NPR's Talk of the Nation. She was also named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and voted Ultrarunning Magazine's top female performance of 2011.
Davis has also authored four books, including three North Carolina guidebooks and her hiking memoir: Becoming Odyssa. She has written for, or appeared within, the following Magazines: Blue Ridge Outdoors, Backpacker, Trail Runner, Men's Journal, Shape and Fitness Magazine.
At 4 p.m., before her presentation, Davis will lead a hike of approximately 4 miles, round trip, from the Appalachian Trail Museum to the Appalachian Trail's half-way sign.
The Appalachian Trail Museum has had approximately 20,000 visitors from throughout the United States and 18 other countries since it opened in Pine Grove Furnace State Park in June 2010. Located at the midway point of the 2,184-mile-long Appalachian Trail, the museum is across from the Pine Grove General Store on Pennsylvania Route 233.
About the Appalachian Trail Museum Society
The Appalachian Trail Museum Society, a 501-C-3 not-for-profit organization formed in 2002, organizes programs, exhibits, volunteers and fundraising nationwide for the Appalachian Trail Museum. The museum opened on June 5, 2010, as a tribute to the thousands of men, women and families who have hiked and maintained the 2,184 mile long hiking trail that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia. Located in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, Pennsylvania, the museum is conveniently near Carlisle, Gettysburg and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Additional information is available at www.atmuseum.org.
