Book Review - Called Again

Jennifer Pharr Davis is an incredible athlete and a gifted writer. I read her first book, Becoming Odyssa with great interest. But I looked forward to her second book, Called Again, as it chronicled her long distance achievements in the areas of the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail, holding the fastest women's record and overall record respectively.

In this memoir of her latest accomplishment, breaking the world record for the fastest Appalachian Trail hike, Jenn's true to the fact that this is not a memoir of the glamour and giddiness of becoming a renowned athlete. Far from it. Rather she candidly outlines the true grit, struggles, the trials, the strength when there is none to be found, in order to accomplish this amazing feat. She makes no bones about it when she credits it all to her faith, her husband and the many people who helped her along the way. I also must say I enjoyed reading about the different foods she ate on her stops, too. (What hiker doesn't like to read about food?). And her husband Brew was there at every stop, with all kinds of great snacks to keep the momentum going. As well as providing support and words of encouragement, too.

This book is not so much about Jennifer’s remarkable feat, which is indeed a triumph. Rather it is a gift to the enduring legacy of faith and of loved ones who bear the banner of confidence and support as we seek to realize our dreams in life. Without faith and love there would be no hope, and for Jenn, no record. I for one know that well. If you have a dream, be sure to invite others to be a part of it. They may well be the very ones who help make it come true.


Related Blogs

We All Are on Journeys
We Are All Winners
Why Read This Appalachian Trail Book

We are All Winners

The last few weeks have seen some interesting accomplishments on both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). On both trails we have seen unsupported and supported hikers smash records. Supported means the hiker had a team meet them along the trail to offer support and carried minimal weight. Unsupported means the hiker carried all their supplies and also received no assistance when resupplying in and out of towns (adding lots of extra miles to their overall record of the trail).

Matt Kirk with Jenn Pharr Davis

For instance on the Appalachian Trail, 2,185.9 miles in length, Matt Kirk set the unsupported AT record, finishing in under 58.5 days. His average miles per day was 37. He was joined on the summit by the current supported record-holder Jenn Pharr Davis.

The PCT’s trail of 2,665 miles saw two record-breaking hikers, one after the other. Heather “Anish” Anderson holds the unsupported record at 60 days while Josh Garret holds the overall supported record of 59.5 days. Each boasted over 40 miles per day hiking.

Incredible feats for sure, and by the young.

But I saw an interesting post today that I shared on my Facebook page:

“The Last is just the slowest Winner” – C. Hunter Boyd

Think about it.

Maybe you have been hiking the AT or PCT or other long distance trail for years. Doing it on free weekends. Maybe day hiking. Or taking a vacation week from work to chip away at these mountainous trails. I’ve had hikers tell me as a ridgerunner – “Well, I’m only section hiking the trail (instead of thru hiking)."

“Only” section hiking??

Hey, you’re out there! You’re one of the winners striving to reach their own personal goal. Striving for the prize which is, really, the journey itself.

We don’t have Olympic medals for hikers. Or official world records. So I much applaud these young hikers for having accomplished so much in their individual records. What incredible feats.

But I also applaud the eighty-year-old hiker I met on the trail in Shenandoah this summer, hiking the trail of his dream. The young fourteen-year-old who, after attending a ranger-led hike in Shenandoah last summer, is now out trying to be the youngest unsupported hiker to hike the Appalachian Trail. I applaud the mom or dad who can only go out on an occasional weekend to hike as they care for their families. Or who take their children and go hike a few miles. I applaud the student hiking as he is in college. The teens hiking with their youth groups. The older and wiser ones of retirement age who take on the challenge of a trail even though their bodies are tired and getting worn with age.       

All are winners, whether first or last. Because they are out to accomplish their trail of dreams and do it with passion. 

   

"We all are on Journeys" - Jennifer Pharr Davis Shares

Appalachian Trail current record-holder Jennifer Pharr Davis shares her passion for the trail - a journey she also calls "a walk in prayer."

Congratulations to a true Olympic Athlete

Jenn Pharr Davis at Springer Mountain, GA

 At 3:26 PM this afternoon, a true Olympic athlete was born. No, she will not get the gold medal, stand on a podium or have the National Anthem sung in honor of her accomplishment. But Jennifer Pharr Davis is still a champion, having completed an epic journey. As a supported hiker, she posted the FASTEST time EVER to finish the Appalachian Trail, 2,181 miles, from Maine to Georgia in 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes.


Congratulations, Jenn!
I had the opportunity to meet Jenn back in 2006 before my first AT completion. It was in the bathroom of our church of all places. I was having my doubts about my hike the following year. That Sunday the pastor's wife came up and said I needed to meet the guest that came as she had hiked the Appalachian Trail. She had been invited to our service from a friend. I ran into Jenn in the bathroom at the sinks and we started talking. She told me how she got her trail name and talked of how strong her ankles were to hike the Appalachian Trail in trail runners, which she did the first time she thru-hiked (I was still questioning the thought of a long distance hike in trail runners at that point, and really the crazy idea of doing the whole trail to begin with). She was a great encouragement, telling me to go do it. I am thankful to have met her, even if it was in a bathroom :) and wish her all the best.