ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Jennifer Pharr Davis and Mel Gibson are two different people with a common interest bringing them close together – hiking.
What You Need To Know
In 2021, there were 105 search and rescue calls made in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
49% of search and rescue reports in the national park from 2016 to 2020 were slips, trips and falls, followed by exhaustion and fatigue at 11%
Blue Ridge Hiking Company founder Jennifer Pharr Davis said just because something is open in the wilderness, doesn’t always mean it is safe
“I was 21, and I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail with very little backpacking experience before that,” Pharr Davis said.
“My whole world opened up when I started hiking,” Gibson said. “It helps you process things. It’s very mellowing and stabilizing.”
Gibson decided that guiding hikes could be in her future after completing the Make-A-Wish Trailblaze Challenge.
That's when she met Pharr Davis, who founded the Blue Ridge Hiking Company at 24 years old and was named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012.
“She was more confident of my abilities on the trail than I was confident of my abilities,” Gibson said. “Knowing that she thought I could do it was very empowering, and she was right!”
“There’s a lot of things the outdoors can give you. Hikers sometimes say it gives you what you need,” Pharr Davis said. She thought helping bring people outdoors could give them what they needed.
It gave Gibson exactly what she was looking for.
“The feeling I get when I introduce someone to the outdoors is out of this world good,” Gibson said.
The pair is certain that no matter how long they have been on trails, what always comes first is safety.
“If you go out in the woods and you didn’t prepare, it can be a scary place,” Gibson said.
“Eating, drinking, putting on layers, making sure you don’t get soaking wet before temperatures drop and then you get hypothermia,” Pharr Davis said as she listed a few precautions she deems essential. “Taking reasonable risks when it comes to enjoying our most scenic spots.”
When Great Smoky Mountains National Park emergency leader Elizabeth Lee saw the need for search and rescue teams increasing, she decided to build a preventative search and rescue program.
This was based on Jeff Wadley's findings that in 2021, 105 search and rescue reports were filed in the park. Forty-nine percent of reports from 2016 to 2020 were a result of slips, trips and falls, which were concluded as the most common report. Their second-most common search and rescue report included exhaustion and fatigue at 11%.
Lee said that summer months are typically busier, and it isn’t uncommon to have three to four search and rescues in one day.
According to Haywood Emergency Services public information officer Allison Richmond, during summer, it is common to see an increase in hiking injuries due to an increase in local park visitors.
Pharr Davis said the wilderness is still the wilderness — just because something is open, doesn’t always mean it is safe.
This is why the pair puts effort into potentially life-saving precautions and equipment.
“I’m increasing my knowledge, and I've been through more scenarios where I'm like, ‘I wish I had this, and if I carry this maybe I can help someone,’” Pharr Davis said.
Pharr Davis and Gibson feel confident that trailblazing can continue for all.
“No matter your economic status or your physical ability,” Gibson said, “It is not just for elite athletes. Being in the woods is just life to me.”
However, preparation can be worth the extra mile.
The American Hiking Society has a list of 10 essentials they recommend to bring on every hike. No matter what season, the list is one the pair will continue to follow.