Becoming Odyssa - Jennifer Pharr Davis [133]
We stood on the mountaintop and took pictures for several minutes. After taking photos, I knew right where to find the hidden journal. The last time I signed this register, I didn’t know who I was going to be, but this time I concluded my entry without hesitation.
Since setting the Appalachian Trail record, I have continued to work and I have continued to hike. In 2009, my husband and I thru-hiked the five-hundred-mile Colorado Trail together. It was Brew’s first thru-hike and my first time having a hiking partner for an entire trail. We both loved it.
At our home in Asheville, North Carolina, there is a list of potential hikes posted on our refrigerator. It includes local trails for day-hikes, trails that I would love to set a record on, trails reserved for Brew and me to do together, and—if one day we are blessed with children—we have a column for family-friendly hikes too.
For most people, I am defined by my 2008 Appalachian Trail record, which is strange to me, because it was my first thru-hike in 2005 that defined me. People often ask how I prepared for hiking the trail in fifty-seven days, how I developed the stamina and the mental toughness to keep pushing my limits day after day, and why I would even want to attempt such an endeavor. The problem is that most of the time the people who ask the questions are expecting a short response, an easy response, and that’s not possible. As a twenty-one-year-old, it took me four and a half months and 2,175 miles to find the answers.
2008 ITINERARY
DAY 0
Mount Katahdin to Nahmakanta Lake (south end)—40.8 miles
DAY 1
Nahmakanta Lake to Rural Logging Rd—43.8 miles
DAY 2
Rural Logging Rd to Maine 15—29.9 miles
DAY 3
Maine 15 to Caratunk (US 201)—36.7 miles
DAY 4
Caratunk (US 201) to Horns Pond Lean-To—31.5 miles
DAY 5
Horns Pond Lean-To to Maine 4 (Rangeley)—37.3 miles
DAY 6
Maine 4 (Rangeley) to South Arm Road—26.4 miles
DAY 7
South Arm Road to Speck Pond Campsite—25 miles
DAY 8
Speck Pond Campsite to Gorham (US 2)—26.5 miles
DAY 9
Gorham (US 2) to West Branch, Peabody River—25.1 miles
DAY 10
West Branch, Peabody River to Ethan Pond—24.9 miles
DAY 11
Ethan Pond to North Kinsman Mountain—30.2 miles
DAY 12
North Kinsman Mountain to Mount Cube—33.5 miles
DAY 13
Mount Cube to New Hampshire–Vermont Line—30.8 miles
DAY 14
New Hampshire–Vermont Line to Chateauguay Road—30.9 miles
DAY 15
Chateauguay Road to VT 103—32.1 miles
DAY 16
VT 103 to Spruce Peak Shelter—35.2 miles
DAY 17
Spruce Peak Shelter to VT 9—37.3 miles
DAY 18
VT 9 to Hoosic River—33 miles
DAY 19
Hoosic River to Tyringham, MA—36.3 miles
DAY 20
Tyringham, MA to Conn 41—41.9 miles
DAY 21
Conn 41 to Schaghticoke Rd—40.5 miles
DAY 22
Schaghticoke Rd to NY 301—37.9 miles
DAY 23
NY 301 to Orange Turnpike—38.6 miles
DAY 24
Orange Turnpike to Gemmer Rd—40.2 miles
DAY 25
Gemmer Rd to beyond Camp Rd—40.2 miles
DAY 26
Beyond Camp Rd to Lehigh Gap (PA 873)—45 miles
DAY 27
Lehigh Gap (PA 873) to Port Clinton, PA—40 miles
DAY 28
Port Clinton, PA to Rausch Gap—41.1 miles
DAY 29
Rausch Gap to beyond Scott Farm—42.4 miles
DAY 30
Beyond Scott Farm to Sandy Sod Junction—47.3 miles
DAY 31
Sandy Sod Junction to Dahlgren Campground—45.7 miles
DAY 32
Dahlgren Campground to Bears Den Rocks—37.8 miles
DAY 33
Bears Den Rocks to US 522—33.4 miles
DAY 34
US 552 to Skyland Service Rd—37.2 miles
DAY 35
Skyland Service Rd to Pinefield Hut—36.7 miles
DAY 36
Pinefield Hut to Rockfish Gap (US 250)—33.2 miles
DAY 37
Rockfish Gap (US 250) to Porters Field—40.2 miles
DAY 38
Porters Field to Matts Creek Shelter—39.1 miles
DAY 39
Matts Creek Shelter to Black Horse Gap—40.9 miles
DAY 40
Black Horse Gap to VA 624—39.3 miles
DAY 41
VA 624 to VA 635—46.3 miles
DAY 42
VA 635 to VA 606—46 miles
DAY 43
VA 606 to VA 623—37.7 miles
DAY 44
VA 623 to Va 16—40.7 miles