The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience

by Jennifer Pharr Davis

“I like to think of it as just happily rolling with the punches that life throws at you. If you are a life lover, you love it all, you take it all. You hike through that five-hour rainstorm when your hands are so freakin’ numb that you can’t operate your zipper because you know when that sucker’s over, the sun’s gonna come out and when it does you’re gonna be sucking up all that warmth. And you’re gonna be like, ‘While that rainstorm was raging hell for five hours, I just hiked twenty miles. And now, I’ve come out the other end and I’m good to go.’”

“Hiking is not escapism; it’s realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything; we are returning to where we belong.”

Endurance is not measured by someone’s first steps; it is measured by her last step.

Every obstacle that we overcome allows us to acquire strength, gain wisdom, and internalize gratitude. The sacrifice demanded is never wasted; instead it provides an education. It teaches us about other people, it teaches us about the world around us, but more than anything, it teaches us that we are more resilient and powerful than we ever dared dream.