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Asheville speed hiker Pharr Davis to serve on ATC board

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    • Asheville speed hiker Pharr Davis to serve on ATC board

      Asheville speed hiker Pharr Davis to serve on ATC board




      ASHEVILLE Record-setting speed hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis, of Asheville, North Carolina, has been elected to the prestigious position of a member of the board of directors of The Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
      The board is responsible for communicating the mission of the ATC, and enhancing the public standing of the ATC by ensuring legal and ethical integrity and practicing fiscal responsibility.
      Davis is an avid hiker and Appalachian Trail enthusiast, having thru-hiked the entirety of the 2,190-mile Trail three times. On one of those hikes, she set the fastest known time on the AT – 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, earning her a spot on National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year in 2012. Davis is the author of two guidebooks and two memoirs and runs the Blue Ridge Hiking Co.
      Scott Jurek, of Boulder, Colorado, just broke Davis' record by completing the Appalachian Trail July 19 in 46 days, 8 hours, and 7 minutes. Davis still holds the women's record.
      The Appalachian Trail, a unit of the National Park Service, is the longest distance footpath in the Eastern United States. It stretches 2,189 miles through 14 states from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.
      It is estimated that 2-3 million people visit the trail every year and about 1,800-2,000 people attempt to "thru-hike," or hike the entire trail. It takes the average thru-hiker about six months to complete the trail.
      "Spending time on the Appalachian Trail will certainly have a positive impact on your life, but as hikers we also need to constantly ask ourselves how our lives can positively impact the trail," Davis said.
      "The board of directors' passion, expertise and guidance is critical to the mission of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the well-being of the Appalachian Trail," said Ron Tipton, executive director/CEO of the ATC.
      "The board works tirelessly to ensure the organization runs efficiently and has the necessary resources to fulfill its missions. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is very excited about the impact this group will have on the management and protection of the Appalachian Trail."
      The 2015 board of directors will provide guidance to the ATC as the organization implements its Strategic Plan. The plan's goals include Proactive Protection, Engaged Partners, Effective Stewardship, Broader Relevancy, and Strengthened Capacity and Operational Excellence.
      Also elected to the board were Norman P. Findley, Daniel A. Howe, John G. Noll, Colleen T. Peterson, and Rubén Rosales. Beth Critton, Edward R. Guyot, Nathaniel Stoddard, Arthur Foley, Mary Higley, Elizabeth Pierce Thompson, Robert E. Hutchinson Jr., Sandra Marra and Greg Winchester will return to the board.
      For more, visit www.appalachiantrail.org.
      its all good
    • There's alot I don't know about the ATC (compared to all you guys who have actually been involved with the trail for years now) but from the little I do know, she should make a good addition. Caught a few talks and presentations of hers and she has the knowledge, passion, and experience for the position. But more importantly, IMHO, she may bring a more rounded view to the ATC (and the public) in regards to traditional views on hiking the trail.
      *

      For once I'd just like to hear myself say, "Great job, self! Why don't you just take the day off."
    • max.patch wrote:

      if you believe supported speed hikes are in the best interests of the trail then she is an excellent selection.
      I really have to ask... Is her level of experience, her degree of knowledge, her aptitude, her efficacy, and pretty much her entire life, really defined by that one accomplishment?

      I honestly think she'll bring a great deal more than just the promotion of a pseudo-hiking style that only a handful of people are even remotely known for. But even if she were that one-dimensional (which I personally don't think she is) the overall goal is the care, conservation, and promotion of the trail. If that is accomplished with success, then who cares if she was a LASHer, a Thru, a flip-flop, a zigzag, or if she did hopscotch the whole way?

      Supported or unsupported, her feet did the miles. :)

      I'm really not trying to speak from a soapbox. I'm just not that smart or important. But it seems like your passion and your experience may have led you to a hasty conclusion that you might not otherwise reach given some consideration. or maybe you would, I don't know you that well. But I do know (from some of your posts) that you have far more knowledge and experience than me, so I certainly won't be debating the issue with you. Just making an observation. ^^
      *

      For once I'd just like to hear myself say, "Great job, self! Why don't you just take the day off."
    • g00gle wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      if you believe supported speed hikes are in the best interests of the trail then she is an excellent selection.
      I really have to ask... Is her level of experience, her degree of knowledge, her aptitude, her efficacy, and pretty much her entire life, really defined by that one accomplishment?
      i think supported speed hikes should be discourged, not encouraged, and having the past record holder (and still current female record holder) on the board sends the wrong message.

      i love jimmy carter. i think he is a great man and as far as i know he has lived his life in an honorable manner. i would fine with him as my next door neighbor. but i don't want him anywhere near the white house. thats kinda how i feel about JPD as a board member.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      g00gle wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      if you believe supported speed hikes are in the best interests of the trail then she is an excellent selection.
      I really have to ask... Is her level of experience, her degree of knowledge, her aptitude, her efficacy, and pretty much her entire life, really defined by that one accomplishment?
      i think supported speed hikes should be discourged, not encouraged, and having the past record holder (and still current female record holder) on the board sends the wrong message.
      i love jimmy carter. i think he is a great man and as far as i know he has lived his life in an honorable manner. i would fine with him as my next door neighbor. but i don't want him anywhere near the white house. thats kinda how i feel about JPD as a board member.
      what a great analogy, very astute.
    • socks wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      who "elects" the board?
      the board. ?(
      thanks kinda what i was thinking. at rei, for example, the board nominates new board members and then the members vote. i don't ever recall voting in an atc board election. curious. maybe i'll go through a years worth of journey magazine and see if that helps.

      of course its possible i've thrown away my ballots unopened thinking they were just another plea for money. :)
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      socks wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      who "elects" the board?
      the board. ?(
      thanks kinda what i was thinking. at rei, for example, the board nominates new board members and then the members vote. i don't ever recall voting in an atc board election. curious. maybe i'll go through a years worth of journey magazine and see if that helps.
      of course its possible i've thrown away my ballots unopened thinking they were just another plea for money. :)
      yeah, I'm only guessin'
    • max.patch wrote:

      g00gle wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      if you believe supported speed hikes are in the best interests of the trail then she is an excellent selection.
      I really have to ask... Is her level of experience, her degree of knowledge, her aptitude, her efficacy, and pretty much her entire life, really defined by that one accomplishment?
      i think supported speed hikes should be discourged, not encouraged, and having the past record holder (and still current female record holder) on the board sends the wrong message.
      i love jimmy carter. i think he is a great man and as far as i know he has lived his life in an honorable manner. i would fine with him as my next door neighbor. but i don't want him anywhere near the white house. thats kinda how i feel about JPD as a board member.
      i think the reverse is true. first off, shes done one speed hike- the at. secondly, she did thru hike it before in the trad way., thirdly, i would think someone with speed hiking experience would be best ambassador to address up and coming speed attempts.
      its all good
    • hikerboy wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      g00gle wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      if you believe supported speed hikes are in the best interests of the trail then she is an excellent selection.
      I really have to ask... Is her level of experience, her degree of knowledge, her aptitude, her efficacy, and pretty much her entire life, really defined by that one accomplishment?
      i think supported speed hikes should be discourged, not encouraged, and having the past record holder (and still current female record holder) on the board sends the wrong message.i love jimmy carter. i think he is a great man and as far as i know he has lived his life in an honorable manner. i would fine with him as my next door neighbor. but i don't want him anywhere near the white house. thats kinda how i feel about JPD as a board member.
      i think the reverse is true. first off, shes done one speed hike- the at. secondly, she did thru hike it before in the trad way., thirdly, i would think someone with speed hiking experience would be best ambassador to address up and coming speed attempts.
      thats what i alluded to in my first statement. if you think supported speed hikes are a positive dynamic for the trail, then having JPD on the board is an excellent appointment.
      2,000 miler
    • I think she has demonstrated a love for the trail and she has great knowledge of it. In my mind she is an excellent choice.
      I have disagreements with Warren Doyle but I similarly believe he would be another excellent choice.
      We are talking a board here not an executive.
      If the members of the board know and love the trail then you have to conclude that a group consensus will be for the good of the trail.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.