Keynote Lunch Speaker - 2019

Jennifer Pharr Davis

Author, Speaker, Record Setter and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year

Jennifer Pharr Davis is a lover of long journeys and good stories. She is an author, speaker, record setter and 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year who has covered over 14,000 miles of long distance trails on six different continents.

In 2011, she covered the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail in forty-six days, eleven hours, and twenty minutes, maintaining a remarkable average of forty-seven miles per day. By doing this, she claimed the overall (male or female) fastest known time on the 'A.T.' and became the first woman to set that mark.

Jennifer has authored seven books, including her latest critically acclaimed work, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience (Viking Press). She has also written three North Carolina guidebooks and two hiking memoirs called Becoming Odyssa and Called Again, as well as articles for The New York Times, Outside magazine, Backpacker, Trail Runner, and Blue Ridge Outdoors.

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She is a professional speaker who has shared her trail adventures hundreds of times in the U.S. and Europe, including presentations to Fortune 500 companies, schools, libraries, bookstores, and conferences.

 Jennifer is the founder and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company (www.blueridgehikingco.com), a guiding service that strives "to make the wilderness accessible and enjoyable" for hikers of all ages, genders, and ability levels. She has served as a board member for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and ambassador for the American Hiking Society. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband Brew, their daughter Charley and son Gus.