Walking with Spring: The First Thru-Hike of the Appalachian Trail

Shaffer, Earl

ISBN 10: 0917953843 / ISBN 13: 9780917953842

Published by Appalachian Trail Conference, 2004

Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0917953843I2N00

Synopsis:

In 1948, the Appalachian Trail had been a continuous, 2,000-mile footpath for 11 years, but no one had walked its length alone in a continuous journey – until Earl Shaffer, a quiet Pennsylvanian, became a hiking legend and the first of what is now more than 5,500 A.T. "thru-hikers," walking from Georgia to Maine as spring arrived to each area. In 1998, he hiked again as a 50th-anniversary celebration, to far greater publicity. This is the lyrical account of his fabled 1948 walk, with his own photographs.

From the back cover:

Written soon after the first of his three thru-hikes and including photographs from 1948, Walking with Spring chronicles Shaffer’s adventures along a path that at the time was showing neglect of the war years and has since been rerouted significantly to its permanent location. His simply stated story has served as an inspiration for more than 9,000 men and women who have since followed in his footsteps…and many more who have tried.

About the Author: Earl V. Shaffer (1919-2002) was the first person to report a single-season hike of the whole Appalachian Trail, in 1948, walking of the war. He hiked it again in 1965 and 1998. He lived a modest life in central Pennsylvania, often writing poetry.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Walking with Spring: The First Thru-Hike of ...
Publisher: Appalachian Trail Conference
Publication Date: 2004
Binding: Paperback
Condition: As New
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket