Jennifer Pharr Davis > Quotes

“Hiking is not escapism; it's realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything; we are returning to where we belong.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“The scenic vistas of North Carolina and Tennessee make you feel like you're looking at a work of art, but crossing through the rural countryside of southwest Virginia and caressing the tall grass with your fingertips, you feel like you're part of the painting.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“On the trail, all I had to do was walk. It was up to me how far I wanted to walk and where I wanted to end up. I could stop when I wanted, I could eat when I wanted, I could take naps at any point during the day.The trail allowed me to feel a strong sense of freedom. And it helped me to see the oppression of a busy schedule and the way we multitask in civilization. I no longer saw what was civil about filling my life with commitments if I couldn't stop to watch the sunset or listen to the birds sing.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“In Massachusetts and Vermont, there had been plenty of mosquitoes, but in New Hampshire, they had reinforcements.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“Life would be much better if the speed limit was three miles per hour.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“I wasn't worried about not succeeding; I was worried about not trying.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Called Again: A Story of Love and Triumph

“them? • Don’t fight the Trail. You have to flow with it. Be cooperative with the Trail, neither competitive nor combative. • Don’t expect the Trail to respect or to be sensitive to your comfort level and desire to control your environment. In your avoidance of discomfort, you may become more uncomfortable. Fear is weight. • Time, distance, terrain, weather, and the Trail itself cannot be changed. You have to change. Don’t waste any of your energy complaining about things you have no control over. Instead, look at yourself and adapt you mind, heart, body, and soul to the Trail. Remember, you will be a guest in someone else’s house the entire journey. • The Trail knows neither prejudice nor discrimination. Don’t expect any favors from the Trail. The Trail is inherently hard”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“I chose to put my vulnerability above my social image. I was going to either fail or succeed. But I sure as hell wasn't going to be complacent.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“True love isn’t an emotion; it’s a commitment—and it will be confronted by many trials and tribulations. Like the trail, love is not always easy and it is not always fun. If you really care about something or someone, you will be willing to go through hell for it (or him or her). It takes tough love for you to become your best self.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Called Again: A Story of Love and Triumph

“Well, I like to move through the woods. I don’t care how I do it. Maybe just think of me as a mover.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Called Again: A Story of Love and Triumph

“Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner who was portrayed in the movie Chariots of Fire, famously said, "I feel like God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel His pleasure." I started thinking that my ability to hike was a gift and a divine responsibility. The farther I walked, the weaker I felt, the more I relied on my faith, and the more I felt God's presence.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“In the spring of 2015, Warren started the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. At age sixty-five, he was a walking contradiction. His white beard clashed with his youthful eyes, his soft, round stomach opposed his rectangular rack-solid calves, and his welcoming smile conflicted with his focused gaze. A finish in Maine would mark his eighteenth thru hike of the 2,189 mile footpath. The circumference of the earth is 24,903 miles; Warren had recorded over 36,000 miles between Springer Mountain and Katahdin.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“But Christians on the Appalachian Trail are like bears: you might run across a handful on your way to Maine. On the other hand, left-wing antifundamentalists are the squirrels of the trail, and you’re guaranteed to encounter several every day.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“Mooch made a good point, and sometimes the worst thing about being part of a group is having to accept sound advice.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“There is no better medicine than the unconditional love of a black lab.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“Even on good days, my family often experienced strained relations. My mother and I in particular, despite being the same height, had rarely seen eye to eye.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“Look up. Listen to the melody. If you want to dance, then you can’t fight the music; you have to flow with it.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Called Again: A Story of Love and Triumph

“One of my favorite things about the trail is that you don’t see your face. I mean, I guess you can see it in the reflection of the water, but there are no mirrors, no vanities, and no places to check yourself out. I used to think that people perceived me based on how I looked, but now that I don’t see my face, I feel like people perceive me by how I treat them—that is, by what I say to them and how well I listen. Now I feel beautiful when I make other people smile.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“By week two, my once-burning flame of wanderlust began to die down to a flicker. And when adventure begins to lose its appeal, it starts to feel more like adversity.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“But somewhere along the journey I learned that much of what I thought was impossible was simply very, very difficult.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Called Again: A Story of Love and Triumph

“when adventure begins to lose its appeal, it starts to feel more like adversity.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“If your goal is to walk the entire Appalachian Trail, then do it. People who take shortcuts do so because they are usually shorter, quicker, or easier. So where is the challenge and honor in that? We have enough of this in the real world. • Expect the worst. If after one week on the Trail you can honestly say that it is easier than you expected, then you will probably finish your journey. • We all have our own temperaments, levels of comfort, and thresholds of pain. If these are congruent with what the Trail requires, you should succeed on your pilgrimage.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“There is an invisible force that pulls individuals of varying interests and pursuits back into the wild. Our existence has been tied to the natural environment since the beginning of humanity. Yet in an effort to protect ourselves from the elements we have walled ourselves off, not just from storms, but also from sunsets. We have protected ourselves from unsavory individuals, as well as friends and neighbors. And we have found a way to stay healthy by sanitizing our society and synthesizing our food and drugs. This is not natural, or safe, or healthy.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“scared, and I don’t want to feel alone.” There is never any doubt”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“Do not let the news channels inform your opinion of other people. The democratic ideals of America are represented by long trails and libraries and liberty for all, not fear mongering and stereotyping. Whenever an issue is portrayed as us versus them, no one will win. Go outside, take a walk with someone who is different from you. You might not agree with him or her, but you will learn to respect that person. We must protect and appreciate our common ground.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“Long-distance trails are affordable for everyone. You hop on and hop off the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail in most sections without incurring any type of fee. You can picnic at the trailhead and head home or you can go as far as you want as fast as you want.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“I remembered a verse in the Bible that said that even if humans failed to praise God, the rocks would sing out his glories. And that’s what they were doing—the mountains were singing the praises of God beautifully and without shame. I wished I could be more like a mountain.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“In the end the decision was simple: pizza, shower, and a hostel trumped PowerBars, floor planks, and putrescence. I was on my way to Damascus.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

“Endurance isn’t the ability to overcome pain; it is the ability to embrace it with no end in sight.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

“I spent one full afternoon on the rocks of Clarendon Gorge talking with the locals who had retreated to the cool rapids of Mill River to escape the summer heat. They shared their food and their stories with me. And as I sat and listened to them talk about interests ranging from car parts to pottery and football to farming, it struck me that every person I had ever met and would ever meet knew something I didn’t and could do something I couldn’t. It was a simple truth, but I finally realized that the more people I invested in, the smarter and better equipped I would be.”
― Jennifer Pharr Davis, Becoming Odyssa : Adventures on the Appalachian Trail