46 Days

Overview

Experience Jennifer Pharr Davis’s record-winning thru-hike across the Appalachian Trail in this dramatic and inspiring first-hand account.

Through a compilation of blog posts written throughout this extraordinary journey, husband Brew Davis recounts the uphill battle from shin splints to stomach scares that threatened to bring it all to an early end. Leading her pit crew, Brew was there every step of the way, working with their group of loving, generous hikers to provide Jen with much needed moral support and as much food as she could stomach. This 46 day trek is packed with trials, successes, joys, and frustrations, as well as an introduction and afterword from Jennifer herself, detailing her own reflections of this life-changing voyage.

Author Biography

Jennifer Pharr Davis grew up in the North Carolina Mountains, where she developed a love for hiking at a young age. At age twenty-one, Jennifer hiked the entire Appalachian Trail as a solo female and fell in love with long-distance backpacking. Jennifer holds endurance records including the women's Appalachian Trail record, completing the trail in fifty-seven days.Brew Davis is Jennifer Pharr Davis's husband and the head of her support team during her record-winning Appalachian Trail thru-hike. He is a teacher, and continues to hike with Jen as much as possible. Brew lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, who is the owner and founder of Blue Ridge Hiking Co.
Jennifer Pharr Davis grew up in the North Carolina Mountains, where she developed a love for hiking at a young age. At age twenty-one, Jennifer hiked the entire Appalachian Trail as a solo female and fell in love with long-distance backpacking.Since then, Jennifer has hiked more than 11,000 miles on six different continents, with North American hikes including the Pacific Crest Trail, Vermont's Long Trail, and the Colorado Trail, and completed three thru-hikes on the Appalachian Trail. She has hiked and traveled on six continents; some of the highlights include Mount Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and the 600-mile Bibbulmun Track in Australia.In the summer of 2011, Jennifer topped her own 2008 Women's Endurance Record for the fastest thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, making her the overall record holder for both women and men. Jennifer is the first woman to hold the overall title. Jennifer hiked from Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia. Her goal was to hike the entire 2,180-mile faster than the current overall speed record of 47 days, 13 hours and 31 minutes, which she did in 46 days. To break the record, Jennifer hiked an average of 47 miles a day, camping along the trail. She had trail support from legendary ultra-runner and former AT and Pacific Crest Trail speed record holder David Horton, as well as veteran AT expert Warren Doyle and Davis' husband, Brew Davis. Her hiking and backpacking accomplishments, as well as her influence as an outdoor role model, are remarkable and momentous. Jennifer is a 2012 National Geographic Top Adventurer of the Year nominee for her record-breaking thru-hike, has been on CNN, The Early Show, NPR numerous times, and was featured in Fitness Magazine and Shape magazine, among others. Jennifer has also written for Trail Runner magazine, Away.com, is a frequent contributor to Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, and has written three guidebooks. Jennifer lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, and is the owner and founder of Blue Ridge Hiking Co.