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Posts Tagged ‘Becoming Odyssa’

JENNIFER PHARR DAVIS News!

Monday, December 28th, 2020

Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of Becoming Odyssa and Called Again, Appointed to President’s Council for Sports, Fitness and Nutrition

For Immediate Release:

Jennifer Pharr Davis has been appointed to the Presidential Council for Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. A noted hiker, speaker, and author, Pharr Davis has hiked more than 14,000 miles on six different continents. In 2011 she set the overall record on the Appalachian Trail by completing the 2,189 mile footpath in 46 days. As a mother she has backpacked 700 miles in her second and third trimesters of pregnancy, hiked in all 50 states with her daughter, and walked across the state of North Carolina while nursing her newborn son. According to the White House Press Release, Pharr Davis was appointed to the position alongside several notable figures and sports personalities, including New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, former Ohio State Head Football Coach Urban Meyer, and TV host Dr. Oz. The co-chairs of the council are beach volleyball Olympian Misty May-Treanor, New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera, and noted NFL running back Herschel Walker.

According to its website, the Council for Sports, Fitness and Nutrition website’s objective is to “increase sports participation among youth of all backgrounds and abilities and to promote healthy and active lifestyles for all Americans.” Appointments are for two years and include annual meetings in Washington, DC.

Pharr Davis is no stranger to getting people outside and on trails. In 2008, she founded Asheville, North Carolina-based Blue Ridge Hiking Company, a guided service with retail shop and bunkhouse that strives to “make the trails accessible and enjoyable to everyone at every phase of life.” In regards to her appointment, Pharr Davis said, “I am looking forward to representing Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands on a council that has traditionally been focused on mainstream sports. It’s time to take a hike, America!”

Click here to learn more about Jennifer Pharr Davis.

Click here to learn more about Becoming Odyssa and click here to learn more about Called Again.

BECOMING ODYSSA News!

Monday, December 14th, 2020

ENJOYING NATURE: 9 great books to get you though these crazy times

Winter is always a good time for reading. Actually, anytime is a good time for reading. It’s just that sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winter day with a good book seems like the perfect place to be and thing to do.

I read 99% non-fiction, and I stumbled into some outstanding books that I know you will like. The reason I know you will like these books is because I passed them on to my wife, sister and friends, and they all loved them, too — so they come well recommended.

So here is a list of nine of the best books I read this summer, in no particular order.

Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis. I heard Jennifer speak at the Appalachian Trail Festival in Damascus, VA, a few years ago and bought this book from her there. My wife read it, but I never got around to it until this summer. It is an excellent account of Jennifer’s solo hike on the AT. This isn’t your typical AT book about what to wear, what to eat, etc. This is about one woman’s experiences — some funny, some sad, and some inspiring — as she hikes 2,190 miles alone. Everyone I passed this book on to (at least six) loved it. $8.78

To read the rest of the article, click here.

To learn more about Becoming Odyssa, click here.

To learn more about Jennifer Pharr Davis, click here.

BECOMING ODYSSA News!

Friday, May 8th, 2020

Positive Forward Motion: New Biopic from Beaufort Author Jennifer Pharr Davis

Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of Becoming Odyssa and Called Again, was featured in a new biopic that shares some of the highs and lows Jennifer has experienced as a record-breaking hiker, business owner, public figure, and a mother.

To watch the 15-minute biopic, click here.

To learn more about Jennifer Pharr Davis, click here.

BECOMING ODYSSA News!

Thursday, October 24th, 2019

STORIES OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL: A RECOMMENDED BOOK LIST

Thru-hikers and section hikers always have a story about what brought them to the trail. The Appalachian Trail in particular is swarming with folklore, so nearly everyone remembers the first story they heard about the 2,000+ mile footpath that weaves uninterrupted from Georgia to Maine. Sometimes the magic is captivated in a single moment; for others of us, several instances over time bound us closer and closer to the trail.

Personally, I found magic in the words and stories of others. When I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson I was intrigued. I thought perhaps one day I’d hike it. But then Jennifer Pharr Davis gave me a story I could really attach too—one that I could see myself in—and I knew it was game over for me. I had to make the trek. For many of life’s greatest endeavors, that’s all it takes: someone’s story to inspire us, blaze a path, and serve as a beacon to guide us.

Because stories are so powerful, below I’ve listed some of the powerful stories that set the stage for my 2020 thru-hike. It’s not all-inclusive, but it contains the books that had the most powerful effects on me and my dreams. Many of you may have already read these stories, but if not, I highly recommend. 

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis
As a kid you hear so many stories about a young hero (usually a boy) who feels out of place in society, but eventually discovers his strength and turns into the hero he was destined to become (think Hercules, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, etc.). Jennifer Pharr Davis is that (s)hero. This story follows her first thru-hiking experience as she “finds” herself—her strength, beauty, confidence, passion, and values. I love this story for how well it captures the trail and for the inspiring way it clearly altered the course of Pharr Davis’ life. A truly wonderful read, especially for young women considering a thru-hike.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

To learn more about Becoming Odyssa, click here.

To learn more about Jennifer Pharr Davis, click here.

Jennifer Pharr Davis: A Woman Among Men

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Jennifer Pharr Davis did it again! Announced just yesterday, she has been nominated by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten Adventurers, 2012. Jen’s prolific achievement on the Appalachian Trail–she is now the world-record holder of the fastest thru-hike ever on the AT, man or woman–has earned her this impressive recognition. Her story is one of persistence and unmatched inner calm in the face of so many doubting Thomases. Most interestingly, Jen occupies a spot most commonly held by men. Yes, even in the world of adventuring, or perhaps even more so, it is men who usually take the day.  Sweating up peaks, sustaining bruises, and eating massive amounts of food is not very lady-like.

However, there is Jen: against all odds, against all stereotypes, she remains a powerful woman in a male-dominated world. She’s proven through her grueling feat that stamina and  strength are not only for men, but for any who would just reach out and grab them. Jen’s record-breaking hike is a dream dreamed differently; the attainment of what she desired was not informed or shaped or altered by the people (men) who had gone before her. She dreamed without qualifications.

Jen herself puts it best when she says in the National Geographic interview that she “just want[s] women to know that they have the same options as men, whether that’s a thru-hike, a day hike, or a record, or going out for the weekend. . . . I think as it [thru-hiking] continues to evolve, women are going to feel more connected to it now, because they know they have the ability to go out and do something amazing on the trail.”

All of us at Beaufort Books would agree with that. We congratulate Jennifer Pharr Davis on her recognition and hope that her example stands as a reminder to dreamers everywhere that it isn’t what’s happened before that matters, it’s what you decide to do now.

To see the official National Geographic page for JPD, click here:

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2012/jennifer-pharr-davis/

 

BEAUcoup Books Lover- Memoirs on the Mind

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Memoirs have been on my mind in recent weeks.  It seems like more and more are appearing on the shelves, and anyone who has spent a year or two on the Earth feels their story is publishable. I don’t mean for this to be a criticism of the industry, however, especially since I consistently enjoy reading memoirs myself, but I believe that only the truly insightful or incredibly talented types with lives that are exceptional should be granted the pages to tell their story. (I also think people like Justin Bieber should wait a few years.  How much can be said when you’re pre-pubescent?  The ghost-writer had to get creative there.)

One memoir open on my desk is Life by Keith Richards.  This is exactly the kind of memoir I personally enjoy.  The man has lived an insane life that I could never imagine, so it feels like you’re getting a glimpse into another world through his stories.  He is also spectacularly unique, and his voice shines through in every word.  Perhaps my favorite part of the memoir is his blunt and extremely matter-of-fact way of talking about his music.  For instance, he claims to have written “Satisfaction” in his sleep.  Literally.  He woke up to find a cassette player with the melody.  Yet while he obviously possesses a natural gift, he has worked hard every step of the way, studying the blues legends before him and still trying to get specific licks on the guitar down.  He is a true artist, and one that every artistic mind or mind yearning to be artistic would benefit from reading.

Other memoirs of this genre I have enjoyed are Just Kids by Patti Smith, as well as the biography of Led Zeppelin,  Stairway to Heaven by Richard Cole.  Both give a glimpse into a different era where the world was in upheaval, and the art world reflected it.  It seems I was born in the wrong decade…

But enough of the rockers and onto a more elegant memoir. And Furthermore by Judi Dench was just officially released and now at the top of my To-Read list.  This is another person who has certainly earned the right of publishing a memoir, working with some of the most distinguished writers, directors and actors the industry has to offer.  According to reviews, Dench is warm-hearted and intimate, sharing personal anecdotes about everything from her roles as Lady Bracknell, Cleopatra and Sally Bowles to losing her husband to cancer. I am happy to hear that this is not the last we will see of Dame Judi Dench, who made a statement that this by no means indicates that she is close to retirement.

One last memoir that I recently read and can’t recommend enough is Beaufort’s own Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis.  Davis has also earned her stars, albeit at an exceptionally early age, by being the fastest woman to ever thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.  In fact, she is attempting to beat the over-all record in the upcoming fall.  But the book is like an honest, intimate adventure novel, following Davis’s first ever thru-hike directly out of college. She can’t throw big names around like the other memoirs I’ve discussed, but her sincerity and genuine charm make up for it. This is a book that is perfect for anyone who has ever struggled to find their place in life.

That’s all for now. Does anyone else have some exceptional memoirs to suggest?

Becoming Odyssa

Thursday, December 16th, 2010


After graduating from college, Jennifer isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. She is drawn to the Appalachian Trail, a 2175-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine. Though her friends and family think she’s crazy, she sets out alone to hike the trail, hoping it will give her time to think about what she wants to do next.

The next four months are the most physically and emotionally challenging of her life. She quickly discovers that thru-hiking is harder than she had imagined: coping with blisters and aching shoulders from the 30-pound pack she carries; sleeping on the hard wooden floors of trail shelters; hiking through endless torrents of rain and even a blizzard.

With every step she takes, Jennifer transitions from an over-confident college graduate to a student of the trail, braving situations she never imagined before her thru-hike. The trail is full of unexpected kindness, generosity, and humor. And when tragedy strikes, she learns that she can depend on other people to help her in times of need.

About the Author: Jennifer Pharr Davis

ISBN: 978-0-825306-49-5
$24.95 Hardcover
Travel, Special Interest / Adventure
320 pages
Publication Date: November 1, 2010

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