Published on July 25, 2011  

Samford Classics alumna Jennifer Pharr Davis `04 is on the path to a second record-breaking hike of the full Appalachian Trail. According to a July 23 New York Times article about Davis, she is hoping to break the current record of 47 days 13 hours 31 minutes for a supported thru-hike. The day that article was published--day 37 of her trek--Davis reported via her Facebook page that she hiked 46.9 miles between 5:25 a.m. and 8:45 p.m.

In 2008 Davis broke the women's record for a supported thru-hike, a feat chronicled in her adventure memoir, Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail. The book explores Davis' physical and emotional transformation through the grueling 57 day, 8 hour journey.

For her Appalachian Trail record Davis was named 2008 Outdoor Person of the Year by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine. To date, she has hiked more than 9,000 miles of long distance trails on six continents and hold endurance records on the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail and Bibbulmun Track. She founded Blue Ridge Hiking Co. to make the wilderness accessible and enjoyable through written and spoken word, instruction and guiding.

Learn More:

Speed Hiker Thrives on Natural Rhythms of the AppalachianTrail (New York Times) 

Blue Ridge Hiking Co. 

Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail 

 

 

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.