Product Description

A hiking legend, Earl Shaffer in 1948 came home from the South Pacific and set out to prove the then-little-known Appalachian Trail--its maintenance largely and necessarily neglected during the war--could be walked in a single continuous journey from Georgia to Maine. This is his own lyrical account of that walk, undertaken also to try to shake off World War II combat, during which he lost his best friend. Illustrated with his photographs during the hike, this book has inspired thousands to attempt similar "thru-hikes." In 1965, he walked it the other way, and, in 1998 at age 79, he did it again...on a trail far different from the one he basically rediscovered at mid-century, one that was more difficult than he liked as he neared his eighth decade. Originally self-published (300 copies), Walking with Spring was first professionally typeset and published in 1983; this is the second printing of a 1996 edition. Only the covers have changed since 1983.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63749 in Books
• Size: Walking With Spring
• Brand: Liberty Mountain
• Published on: 2004-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780917953842
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From the Back Cover
His simply stated story has served as an inspiration for more than 9,000 men and women who have successfully followed in his footsteps...and many thousands more who tried.

About the Author
It was spring of 1948, and a young man from Pennsylvania had to work out of his psyche the sights, sounds, and losses of World War II; he took a hike. For four months. On August 5 of that year, Earl Victor Shaffer became the first person to solo-hike uninterrupted the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, from Mt. Oglethorpe in Georgia through 13 other states to Katahdin in the central-Maine wilderness...on more than 2,000 miles of footpath created in the 1920s and '30s by volunteers and maintained by volunteers ever since. (The southern end is now at Springer Mountain.) Earl Shaffer, a woodsman, naturalist, and poet who lived close to the Trail until his death in 2002, went on to become one of those volunteers as a leader of the Appalachian Trail Conference (now Trail Conservancy) as it worked to secure federal protection for 'the A.T.,' now a unit of the national park system but still volunteer-managed. He was awarded honorary life membership in both the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association.

Customer Reviews

Walking With Spring
Earl Shaffer was a laconic, introverted naturalist, and through his journey developed a deeper appreciation for the wilderness and deeper distrust for the modern world. This chronicle of the first thru-hike of the AT is highly factual, and quite literal. Shaffer did an excellent job of describing the varied terrain and geographic route of the trail. He was intensely serious, and at times the book seems a bit dry and too much of a literal account of the journey. Overall, however, the book is certainly one of a kind and a necessary read for anyone interested in the AT.

Refreshing and inspiring
This is an essential book for anyone who has thru hiked the AT, or is a vicarious thru hiker. Earl Shaffer is the first confirmed person to complete the trail in one season, though a group of boy scouts later claimed they made the entire journey sometime in the mid-30's. Shaffer writes very well, in a phlegmatic, relaxed and spare style. He was an environmentalist and naturalist in an era when few were of the same mindset. As a former WWII GI, he was restless with civilian life and just decided to walk from Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin. What a pioneer he was, even though he didn't know it!

Schaffer describes many fascinating things about the trail and the physical and mental effects resulting from hiking 2,100 miles. Though the journey took place in 1948, there is nothing dated about the book, except the fact that many shelters have been updated or added, and more towns dot the trail these days. This is a great book for anyone addicted to literature on the beloved Appalachian Trail.

Marching to the beat of a different drummer
Earl Shaffer's recounting of the first AT thruhike is a glimpse into history. Perhaps a hundred books have been written about the Appalachian Trail since Earl wrote his. None is more sincere or matter of factly descriptive than Walking With Spring. Earl's life was enigmatic. This book contains hints and clues about this unusual man, the loner, the poet, the man rooted in nature. More than anything, it traces his pioneering journey into the history books as it leads the reader on what in 1948 was an unprecedented quest. At $8.95, it's probably one of today's best literary bargains.