Jennifer Pharr Davis first hiked the entire 2,181 miles of Appalachian Trail in 2005.
In 2008, she returned, and covered the entire distance between Mount Katahdin in Maine and Springer Mountain in Georgia in 57 days, 8 hours, and 35 minutes, faster than any woman had ever covered the distance before.
Yesterday (July 31, 2011), at 3:26 pm, Jennifer reached Springer Mountain again. She reached the top of Mount Katahdin at 4:06 a.m. on June 15, and started hiking south to Georgia. 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes later she reached Springer Mountain and had broken Andrew Thompson’s record of 47 days, 13 hours and 31 minutes from 2005.
She needed to average at least 46 miles per day to set the new all-comer’s record, and frequently covered between 50 and 60 miles per day as she walked from around 5 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. each day.
Jennifer was supported by her husband Brew, who would be waiting at road crossings with refills for her water bottle and food that he’d picked up at restaurants and fast food joints. She also had help from friends on the trail, joined at various points by people that would hike for a stretch of trail or even for a few days at at time.
Her adventures are recounted on a blog that’s been updated daily by her husband. She avoided getting hit by lightning this time in the Smoky Mountains, but she did have one day where she spotted 14 bears through the course of her hike. Earlier that day, she had to take a pregnancy test while looking for an explanation for a frequent and sudden onset of nausea.
If you’d like to read more about her adventure, check out her blog at: jenniferpharrdavis.tumblr.com
Ever think about setting out on your own adventure? You don’t need to set a speed record to have an absolutely amazing experience. Why not start with a marathon?
The Marathon Mastermind starts next Monday, August 8th, and if you sign up now you can take part in the entire program for free! More information is available at the website, www.MarathonMastermind.com.
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