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Walking with Spring
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.
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.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1983
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July 13, 2009
I can thank the deepest recession since the Great Depression for the discovery of this treasure. While getting ready for work one morning, I enjoyed an NPR news story profiling the newly-unemployed. It seems a few, those with a bit of time on their hands and money to spare (5 grand or so), decided what better opportunity could there be than to hike the Appalachian Trail. It seems that spiritual quests don't come cheap these days -- you’ve got to be jobless, yet also have some cash to spare. A rare confluence to be sure, these days, for most of us
Not that everyone who hikes part (or all) of the 2,175 mile trail is looking for spiritual enlightenment. But I would venture that most of them seek connection with something bigger than themselves -- perhaps not God, not literally, not necessarily -- perhaps connection instead with the mountain they're scaling, the stream they're fording, the thunderstorm they're enduring, the tree they're climbing -- after being chased by a moose, bear, or pesky raccoon.
Not too long ago, I read Into the Wild, as well as other, more scholarly texts. Texts that talked a bit about philosophy, spirituality, compassion. I learned about Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, Eating Praying and Loving, Zen meditation, ashrams and monastic retreat. I learned about The Tao, Eckhart Tolle; I even soaked up the Zen is Stupid podcast. Check it out on iTunes if you get the chance, if you have the inclination. From these resources, I learned that even though the Earth’s surface has been satellite-photographed inch by inch, virtualized on Google Earth and that at a click of a button even the underprivileged on the other side of the world can view the the street on which I live, the home I've bought, there are still great, virtually infinite swaths of the human experience -- our internal experience, our inner lives -- ripe to be explored.
How ironic it is, then, that for many, the road to connection with our own hearts, our own souls, our own spirituality, lies through external exploration, physical hardship, prolonged communion with Mother Earth.
Sometimes I find myself thinking all this civilization's a sham, as Shaffer points out a ways into his memoir. There certainly is a simplicity, a soul-stirring truth to the kind of solitude to be found walking alone on a hiking trail, contemplating eternity at the edge of a lonesome lake, or peering from a high hill at the surrounding miles. And I can't help but feel the seduction. It pulls at me like a sixth sense. Sometimes I feel quite ghostly, that I might not actually feel or become alive until I have the opportunity to share in Shaffer’s profound achievement.
Of course, I understand that my journey will never be like his. It would be different, my own singular, individual landscape, my own path through the woods. My footprints will become my fingerprint. No one will ever trod the trail just as I have, seen and experienced exactly the same things.
Oh, how I wish for such an experience. I long to feel so much more than I feel right now. To own a cabin on a remote hilltop, commune with nature and write about my experience, my solitude. I guess I'm a bit of a dreamer.
I wish I knew more people like me.
At any rate, switching gears, Shaffer's book isn't great literature. It can be tedious at times, even for me -- so I recommend the book not for those who entertain only a passing fancy, but for those harboring, honing the focused mindfulness of the impassioned wanderer.
Shaffer's attention to detail, his devoted journal-keeping, have allowed for this marvelous record of adventure to be compiled and published. But it's almost too detailed -- particularly since so much of the trail has changed since his first thru-hike. His intrepid traversing, the endless creeks, lakes, ridges and towns become repetitive and begin to blur. It’s unfortunate, really. I found myself reading for the anecdotes about animals, millions of munching inchworms, crazy loons and bald eagles, backwoods strangers and dangerously clueless hikers, the transcendent beauty. Not for the geographic logistics of the actual hiking, on which so much of the text dwelt. Too linear, too repetitve.
But even so, I enjoyed it immensely. How could I not? I hope you do, too.
Not that everyone who hikes part (or all) of the 2,175 mile trail is looking for spiritual enlightenment. But I would venture that most of them seek connection with something bigger than themselves -- perhaps not God, not literally, not necessarily -- perhaps connection instead with the mountain they're scaling, the stream they're fording, the thunderstorm they're enduring, the tree they're climbing -- after being chased by a moose, bear, or pesky raccoon.
Not too long ago, I read Into the Wild, as well as other, more scholarly texts. Texts that talked a bit about philosophy, spirituality, compassion. I learned about Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, Eating Praying and Loving, Zen meditation, ashrams and monastic retreat. I learned about The Tao, Eckhart Tolle; I even soaked up the Zen is Stupid podcast. Check it out on iTunes if you get the chance, if you have the inclination. From these resources, I learned that even though the Earth’s surface has been satellite-photographed inch by inch, virtualized on Google Earth and that at a click of a button even the underprivileged on the other side of the world can view the the street on which I live, the home I've bought, there are still great, virtually infinite swaths of the human experience -- our internal experience, our inner lives -- ripe to be explored.
How ironic it is, then, that for many, the road to connection with our own hearts, our own souls, our own spirituality, lies through external exploration, physical hardship, prolonged communion with Mother Earth.
Sometimes I find myself thinking all this civilization's a sham, as Shaffer points out a ways into his memoir. There certainly is a simplicity, a soul-stirring truth to the kind of solitude to be found walking alone on a hiking trail, contemplating eternity at the edge of a lonesome lake, or peering from a high hill at the surrounding miles. And I can't help but feel the seduction. It pulls at me like a sixth sense. Sometimes I feel quite ghostly, that I might not actually feel or become alive until I have the opportunity to share in Shaffer’s profound achievement.
Of course, I understand that my journey will never be like his. It would be different, my own singular, individual landscape, my own path through the woods. My footprints will become my fingerprint. No one will ever trod the trail just as I have, seen and experienced exactly the same things.
Oh, how I wish for such an experience. I long to feel so much more than I feel right now. To own a cabin on a remote hilltop, commune with nature and write about my experience, my solitude. I guess I'm a bit of a dreamer.
I wish I knew more people like me.
At any rate, switching gears, Shaffer's book isn't great literature. It can be tedious at times, even for me -- so I recommend the book not for those who entertain only a passing fancy, but for those harboring, honing the focused mindfulness of the impassioned wanderer.
Shaffer's attention to detail, his devoted journal-keeping, have allowed for this marvelous record of adventure to be compiled and published. But it's almost too detailed -- particularly since so much of the trail has changed since his first thru-hike. His intrepid traversing, the endless creeks, lakes, ridges and towns become repetitive and begin to blur. It’s unfortunate, really. I found myself reading for the anecdotes about animals, millions of munching inchworms, crazy loons and bald eagles, backwoods strangers and dangerously clueless hikers, the transcendent beauty. Not for the geographic logistics of the actual hiking, on which so much of the text dwelt. Too linear, too repetitve.
But even so, I enjoyed it immensely. How could I not? I hope you do, too.
January 14, 2014
I'm an old guy - Social Security retirement age. Yet Earl Shaffer accomplished what he called his 'Long Cruise' - the very first Appalachian Trail thru-hike - before I was born (but barely - I happened to be a fetus at the time). The year was 1948.
When you're the very first to do something there's a wall of uncertainty surrounding the endeavor that is hard to comprehend. The conventional wisdom among those involved with and knowledgeable about the Appalachian Trail at that time was that what Earl did was impossible. In fact many people refused to believe he had done it until he convinced them via personal interviews, during which he was grilled for trail details that only a hiker would know, and via testimonials of many 'witnesses' he had met along the way.
Earl and a friend had been making plans to hike the entire AT as far back as the 1930's, soon after the whole thing was finished. They lived not far from the trail in York, PA and they had gone on many backpacking trips along the trail near home. But then World War II came along. Earl found himself in combat in the South Pacific, and when he got back home he found the experiences hard to shake off. Worse, his friend did not return.
In the past few years there has been a burgeoning Veteran support group known as "Warrior Hike" that advocates that returning veterans 'Hike off the War' by doing an AT thru-hike. The participants find it very therapeutic--a good way to ease back into civilian life. Earl Shaffer was undoubtedly the first Warrior Hiker. It seems to me that he quietly dedicated his hike to his friend, and I believe this helped steel his resolve to finish, despite having to find his way through sections that had been neglected and unmaintained through the war, others that had been clear cut by loggers, and still others that had been rerouted without adequate marking. There was the 'Missing Link' between the Green Mountains of VT and New Hampshire's White Mountains where the trail barely existed at all.
Some of the early trail's shortcomings probably motivated Earl to want to help make the experience for other hikers better. After his hike, Earl went on to have a long distinguished career of service for the Trail. He knew most of the true legends, including Myron Avery and Benton MacKaye, to whom he dedicated his book. And it's a testimony to him that the publisher who opted to sign him was none other than the Apppalachian Trail Conference itself (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy).
Earl didn't write his book right away. It was first published privately in 1981, then picked up by ATC and made public in 1983. But during the 'Lone Expedition' as he also called it, he maintained a diary, and words from his 'Little Black Notebook' make frequent appearances in the final text.
Earl's writing style is down-to-earth, almost quaint in its old-fashioned simplicity, yet it rises to a standard of elegance and sophistication that many more recent trail memoirs are not able to match. Earl is a keen observer with a love for the history of the land, and he's a marvelous pastoral poet. The book is filled with well written verse and with descriptions of the country through which he was traveling. He describes elements of the human history of the land that I had not heard before despite my extensive reading about the trail. He covers the history of the inhabitants from pre-Columbian days, through early settlement, the civil war, to the then modern but now historic encounters with an amiable mountain man tilling his field with two mules and a walk-behind plow, a ride in a Model-A driven by a non-English-speaking Pennsylvania Dutch farmer, and Park Rangers who personally kept tabs on his progress and radioed the news north to their colleagues. His hike was a historic event, yet Earl's humble telling makes it feel personal and real. I especially delighted in his descriptions of places that I personally passed on my thru-hike in 2012--still there, still on the trail route after sixty four years.
As AT hiking memoirs go, this is one of the good ones--a must read.
When you're the very first to do something there's a wall of uncertainty surrounding the endeavor that is hard to comprehend. The conventional wisdom among those involved with and knowledgeable about the Appalachian Trail at that time was that what Earl did was impossible. In fact many people refused to believe he had done it until he convinced them via personal interviews, during which he was grilled for trail details that only a hiker would know, and via testimonials of many 'witnesses' he had met along the way.
Earl and a friend had been making plans to hike the entire AT as far back as the 1930's, soon after the whole thing was finished. They lived not far from the trail in York, PA and they had gone on many backpacking trips along the trail near home. But then World War II came along. Earl found himself in combat in the South Pacific, and when he got back home he found the experiences hard to shake off. Worse, his friend did not return.
In the past few years there has been a burgeoning Veteran support group known as "Warrior Hike" that advocates that returning veterans 'Hike off the War' by doing an AT thru-hike. The participants find it very therapeutic--a good way to ease back into civilian life. Earl Shaffer was undoubtedly the first Warrior Hiker. It seems to me that he quietly dedicated his hike to his friend, and I believe this helped steel his resolve to finish, despite having to find his way through sections that had been neglected and unmaintained through the war, others that had been clear cut by loggers, and still others that had been rerouted without adequate marking. There was the 'Missing Link' between the Green Mountains of VT and New Hampshire's White Mountains where the trail barely existed at all.
Some of the early trail's shortcomings probably motivated Earl to want to help make the experience for other hikers better. After his hike, Earl went on to have a long distinguished career of service for the Trail. He knew most of the true legends, including Myron Avery and Benton MacKaye, to whom he dedicated his book. And it's a testimony to him that the publisher who opted to sign him was none other than the Apppalachian Trail Conference itself (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy).
Earl didn't write his book right away. It was first published privately in 1981, then picked up by ATC and made public in 1983. But during the 'Lone Expedition' as he also called it, he maintained a diary, and words from his 'Little Black Notebook' make frequent appearances in the final text.
Earl's writing style is down-to-earth, almost quaint in its old-fashioned simplicity, yet it rises to a standard of elegance and sophistication that many more recent trail memoirs are not able to match. Earl is a keen observer with a love for the history of the land, and he's a marvelous pastoral poet. The book is filled with well written verse and with descriptions of the country through which he was traveling. He describes elements of the human history of the land that I had not heard before despite my extensive reading about the trail. He covers the history of the inhabitants from pre-Columbian days, through early settlement, the civil war, to the then modern but now historic encounters with an amiable mountain man tilling his field with two mules and a walk-behind plow, a ride in a Model-A driven by a non-English-speaking Pennsylvania Dutch farmer, and Park Rangers who personally kept tabs on his progress and radioed the news north to their colleagues. His hike was a historic event, yet Earl's humble telling makes it feel personal and real. I especially delighted in his descriptions of places that I personally passed on my thru-hike in 2012--still there, still on the trail route after sixty four years.
As AT hiking memoirs go, this is one of the good ones--a must read.
January 21, 2024
Great nonfiction book by the first through-hiker on the Appalachian Trail. That used to be one of my dreams but I’m too old and have health concerns that would not allow that now. It was great to read his adventures on the trail. It was a little slow going but nice to see the advance in clothing, food options and trail improvements now.
It’s a small book, but full of good information.
I borrowed this book from a friend and will now return it.
It’s a small book, but full of good information.
I borrowed this book from a friend and will now return it.
September 18, 2018
This is the memoir of the first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1948 by Earl Shaffer. He'd returned from service in WW2 depressed and confused, all the more so because he'd lost his best friend and hiking buddy at Iwo Jima. So he decided to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one long hike, both as a tribute to his friend and to get the war out of his system. He took photos on the way, some of which are included in the book, and made notes in what he called his "Little Black Notebook" from which he wrote this book later.
This is such a fascinating read on so many levels: a glimpse into what backpacking was like in 1948, without ultralight backpack frames and Goretex, carrying heavy cans of food and such; Shaffer's lovely and heartful descriptions of nature (he's a poet at heart), and his sense of humor describing the antics of some wildlife and of people he met along the way; his accurate historical narrative of what the Trail was like in 1948, after a long hiatus of trail maintenance from WW2 and several parts of the path damaged or washed out by storms and beaver ponds. It was really a wonder he wasn't hurt and actually reached the end, and in 2 months shorter time than most thru-hikers do it in now.
When I first read this book in the early 80s, it inspired me to get out and hike a few sections of the Trail over the years (I never did thru-hike it, but I tended to plan eastern vacations around areas where the Trail went through). Now reading it again, it was like revisiting those long ago hikes and walking with the master. I read it slow and savored it this time.
I recommended this to everyone, but I think nature lovers and hikers will especially love the journey. Also great for teaching your kids a bit about nature.
This is such a fascinating read on so many levels: a glimpse into what backpacking was like in 1948, without ultralight backpack frames and Goretex, carrying heavy cans of food and such; Shaffer's lovely and heartful descriptions of nature (he's a poet at heart), and his sense of humor describing the antics of some wildlife and of people he met along the way; his accurate historical narrative of what the Trail was like in 1948, after a long hiatus of trail maintenance from WW2 and several parts of the path damaged or washed out by storms and beaver ponds. It was really a wonder he wasn't hurt and actually reached the end, and in 2 months shorter time than most thru-hikers do it in now.
When I first read this book in the early 80s, it inspired me to get out and hike a few sections of the Trail over the years (I never did thru-hike it, but I tended to plan eastern vacations around areas where the Trail went through). Now reading it again, it was like revisiting those long ago hikes and walking with the master. I read it slow and savored it this time.
I recommended this to everyone, but I think nature lovers and hikers will especially love the journey. Also great for teaching your kids a bit about nature.
April 22, 2024
A tale of the original walk of the AT was interesting as a slice of time more than a technical discussion of how to hike. The times were different, the trail ran differently, but the reasons for hiking are similar even today. The hospitality of people 70 years ago was amazing. Today there is trail magic but nothing like what was described by Ridge Runner. It was a great adventure.
May 30, 2019
I enjoy books that take me along with the traveler. I especially enjoy books that take me along with a companion who does not whine. Sure, there was inclement weather and buzzing, biting insects; but Shaffer adapted and kept moving on his Long Cruise.
A favorite quote of mine: "...a reluctance to finish the trip was building up. I almost dreaded the time when the Long Cruise would be over. Trail-hiking had become my way of life. Civilization seemed like such a sham."
I highly recommend this book to all readers.
A favorite quote of mine: "...a reluctance to finish the trip was building up. I almost dreaded the time when the Long Cruise would be over. Trail-hiking had become my way of life. Civilization seemed like such a sham."
I highly recommend this book to all readers.
January 2, 2023
I first read this book in the mid-80s. I was living in Hickory, NC, and lent my copy to a friend. I never got it back and moved shortly afterwards. A few months ago, I was in a store along the Blue Ridge Parkway and spotted another copy and thought I should read this book again. When I first read the book, I had hiked most of the Appalachian Trail south of Bastian, VA (where I-77 crosses). A few years later I finished the trail after doing a long hike from the Shenandoah’s to Katahdin, in Maine.
This book took me back to a time when the trail was young and not well known. Shaffer was the first person to hike the entire length of the trail which, at the time, ran from Mt. Oglethorpe, Georgia to Katahdin. A few years later, the southern terminus of the trail would be moved to Springer Mountain. While much of the trail and even some of the shelters were familiar with me, there have been many changes. Going through Southern Virginia, the trail Shaffer hiked headed east from Damarcus, where it picked up and paralleled the Blue Ridge Parkway. This section had a lot of road walking and plans had been made much earlier to move to trail to northward, toward Pearisburg, VA, before swinging it eastward and paralleling the parkway starting north of Roanoke. The plans, which were made before the war, didn’t materialize until around 1950. Interestingly, Shaffer would have hiked past one of the Rock Churches I serve. While he doesn’t mention it, he does comment on Puckett’s Cabin which is two miles north. He hiked this section at the right time because the flame azaleas were in bloom. He missed the other church as the trail left the parkway and went over the Pinnacles of the Dan before returning to the parkway before Mabry Mill.
Shaffer also hiked at a time before the availability of lightweight gear. He often ate canned food. He didn’t take a stove; instead, he built fires to cook his meals. He traveled light, with just a poncho which doubled as a shelter (with him putting his rain hat over the hole in the middle of the poncho). In 1948, much of the trail had been neglected because of the war. Another big difference in Shaffer’s hike and mine was getting into town to resupply. While we both often hitchhiked, he was often able to catch a bus. I only did this once, in Garrison, NY, where I caught a bus into Peekskill to get my boots repaired.
Shaffer, himself, had been a soldier in the South Pacific. While he often comments on his status as a veteran, he never writes about the war itself. But the war is mentioned. When a New England ranger invites him into his home in the woods and immediately sets on a pot for tea, he’s reminded of the kindness of New Zealand soldiers offering tea. On occasions, he meets other veterans from the Pacific, and they discuss their experiences which are not shared in the book. Shaffer, having lost his pre-war hiking friend in the war, had a good reason to “walk it off.” (Doug Peacock, who was a green Beret in Vietnam and the model for Edward Abbey’s Hayduke in The Monkey Wrench Gang, titled his memoir Walking It Off).
Essentially, this book is about his walk on the Appalachian Trail. It’s a day-by-day journal that give us a taste of what Shaffer experienced on his “long cruise.” It is apparent that Shaffer is well-read as he often refers to literary works. He is also a poet and includes many of his own poems. The book wasn’t published until the 1980s which probably explains why he used a metaphor of “programing a computer.” Except for a few scientists, that term doesn’t seem to fit in the world of 1948.
Shaffer’s prose provides an understanding of the landscape. I didn’t realize that the New River in Virginia was the last of the rivers to flow west (and via the Mississippi, south to the Gulf of Mexico). Nor did I really put it together that Sunfish Pond, in New Jersey, was the southern most natural pond/lake on the trail. I do remember commenting in my own journals about how the water sources changed. South of New Jersey, there are many springs from which you get water. As you head north, they become fewer and fewer.
If you want to learn about the Appalachian Trail, this book is a good place to begin. While there are changes, the hills remain.
This book took me back to a time when the trail was young and not well known. Shaffer was the first person to hike the entire length of the trail which, at the time, ran from Mt. Oglethorpe, Georgia to Katahdin. A few years later, the southern terminus of the trail would be moved to Springer Mountain. While much of the trail and even some of the shelters were familiar with me, there have been many changes. Going through Southern Virginia, the trail Shaffer hiked headed east from Damarcus, where it picked up and paralleled the Blue Ridge Parkway. This section had a lot of road walking and plans had been made much earlier to move to trail to northward, toward Pearisburg, VA, before swinging it eastward and paralleling the parkway starting north of Roanoke. The plans, which were made before the war, didn’t materialize until around 1950. Interestingly, Shaffer would have hiked past one of the Rock Churches I serve. While he doesn’t mention it, he does comment on Puckett’s Cabin which is two miles north. He hiked this section at the right time because the flame azaleas were in bloom. He missed the other church as the trail left the parkway and went over the Pinnacles of the Dan before returning to the parkway before Mabry Mill.
Shaffer also hiked at a time before the availability of lightweight gear. He often ate canned food. He didn’t take a stove; instead, he built fires to cook his meals. He traveled light, with just a poncho which doubled as a shelter (with him putting his rain hat over the hole in the middle of the poncho). In 1948, much of the trail had been neglected because of the war. Another big difference in Shaffer’s hike and mine was getting into town to resupply. While we both often hitchhiked, he was often able to catch a bus. I only did this once, in Garrison, NY, where I caught a bus into Peekskill to get my boots repaired.
Shaffer, himself, had been a soldier in the South Pacific. While he often comments on his status as a veteran, he never writes about the war itself. But the war is mentioned. When a New England ranger invites him into his home in the woods and immediately sets on a pot for tea, he’s reminded of the kindness of New Zealand soldiers offering tea. On occasions, he meets other veterans from the Pacific, and they discuss their experiences which are not shared in the book. Shaffer, having lost his pre-war hiking friend in the war, had a good reason to “walk it off.” (Doug Peacock, who was a green Beret in Vietnam and the model for Edward Abbey’s Hayduke in The Monkey Wrench Gang, titled his memoir Walking It Off).
Essentially, this book is about his walk on the Appalachian Trail. It’s a day-by-day journal that give us a taste of what Shaffer experienced on his “long cruise.” It is apparent that Shaffer is well-read as he often refers to literary works. He is also a poet and includes many of his own poems. The book wasn’t published until the 1980s which probably explains why he used a metaphor of “programing a computer.” Except for a few scientists, that term doesn’t seem to fit in the world of 1948.
Shaffer’s prose provides an understanding of the landscape. I didn’t realize that the New River in Virginia was the last of the rivers to flow west (and via the Mississippi, south to the Gulf of Mexico). Nor did I really put it together that Sunfish Pond, in New Jersey, was the southern most natural pond/lake on the trail. I do remember commenting in my own journals about how the water sources changed. South of New Jersey, there are many springs from which you get water. As you head north, they become fewer and fewer.
If you want to learn about the Appalachian Trail, this book is a good place to begin. While there are changes, the hills remain.
April 18, 2023
Matter-of-fact telling of the journey Earl made as the first person to hike the entire length of the AT. Good read for those interested in AT history, hiking, nature or the outdoors. I wouldn’t last one night on the trail but enjoy reading about those who do.
January 8, 2024
Good memoir of the first man to thru hike the AT. Nothing groundbreaking, at least for me. It felt aggressively average at many points, a lot of “i did this, then this, then i went here and did this.” There are many poetic and inspiring parts that I did enjoy but overall it was just three stars. I do regret not reading the physical copy because I missed out on the pictures he took but it was a pretty decent listen either way.
December 26, 2018
Really made me want to do another thru-hike. Also made me want to take a long slow hike through New Hampshire and Maine. Gah, I miss that trail.
November 18, 2014
Shaffer set out to walk the entire Appalachian Trail--the first to officially do so, to "walk the Army out of me," after fighting in the South Pacific. (Incidentally, a close friend and hiking partner was killed in the fighting.) This backdrop of the story explains the resolved, solitary, people-avoiding, lonely trek north. Minute detail is given regarding the features of the trail; springs, shelters, wash-outs, trail detours, etc. This is a wonderful look at a different era in American history, life on the AT, and even at a tough-as-nails veteran from the "Greatest Generation," handling the war pretty much as we've come to understand is normative for those ones: one foot in front of another, and always keep moving, walking away from an unnamed past.
Highly recommended for all backpackers, hikers, AT history buffs.
Highly recommended for all backpackers, hikers, AT history buffs.
September 25, 2021
I wanted this book to be better than it was. Don't get me wrong it's super interesting for AT hikers. The subject matter and the changes to the Trail are fascinating. But it just wasn't that well-written. I wouldn't recommend it to someone that isn't obsessed with the AT.
May 21, 2016
"Trail-hiking had become my way of life. Civilization seemed like a sham."
October 7, 2019
"Walking with Spring" is an enjoyable trek if a bit matter-of-fact, but still, it's a great travelogue of the first ever through-hike of the Appalachian Trail (a bucket list item).
September 26, 2021
Earl V. Shaffer decided to walk the rugged Appalachian Trail in 1948 when the trail was still very rugged. Pre WW2, he and a hiking friend had decided they would do this trail, then the war came and they both ended up serving in the Pacific - his friend died on Iwo Jima. Shaffer wanted to do the hike which he called the "Lone Expedition/Long Cruise" to "walk off the war". Using military hiking gear, he hiked approximately 20 miles per day and finished with the same equipment he started with minus the heavy canvas tent. Today's equipment is ultra light as well as the food supply, the trail is heavily used and well maintained, grocery/equipment/emergency medical are more accessible which makes his hike even more interesting. Even the camera he carried was heavier than anything we have today for such an adventure plus he had to resupply his film!
The narrative of the hike, the descriptions of the trail & scenery, the discussions with people he met are vivid, lively, intuitive highlighting his love of words, music, poetry and the wilderness. He went on the hike the trail twice more The first one being the first publicized hiking trip over the entire length of the Appalachian Trail earning him the nickname of the "Crazy One". Then, in 1956, he became the first person to hike the trail in both directions. In 1998, at age 79, he did another thru hike.
Shaffer's first hike was carefully checked (only 7 people prior to this had hiked the entire trail but they did it by section hiking) and with his trail journal, people he met on the hike, postcards he sent as he hiked - all proved he had accomplished this incredible feat.
The narrative of the hike, the descriptions of the trail & scenery, the discussions with people he met are vivid, lively, intuitive highlighting his love of words, music, poetry and the wilderness. He went on the hike the trail twice more The first one being the first publicized hiking trip over the entire length of the Appalachian Trail earning him the nickname of the "Crazy One". Then, in 1956, he became the first person to hike the trail in both directions. In 1998, at age 79, he did another thru hike.
Shaffer's first hike was carefully checked (only 7 people prior to this had hiked the entire trail but they did it by section hiking) and with his trail journal, people he met on the hike, postcards he sent as he hiked - all proved he had accomplished this incredible feat.
October 8, 2024
"Civilization seemed like a sham"-Earl V. Shaffer
Captivating words that came from a man who seemed to have found home: home along America's Appalachian Trail-or the "A.T." for short.
Reading this book brought me back to a time when people seemed a little more respectful, a little more friendlier, and a lot more generous. Who knows if the locals of the A.T. today might all be as hospitable and amiable as the ones Earl V. Shaffer encountered during his "Long Cruise" of the trail in the late 1940's. It was still, all the same, most wonderful to read about Mr. Shaffer's exploits, encounters and adventures along the A.T.
Though Mr. Shaffer, who was a lifelong bachelor, did hike the trail solo, he also made no attempt to hide the fact that he also accepted help as needed whenever the opportunity presented itself: a hot meal, shelter or a helpful ride to the next point on the trail when it suited him. A good lesson that I learned from reading this book was that there is strength and fortitude in the "power of one". However, I also learned that "teamwork and generosity" also play a huge role in helping to have a successful life.
This book just so happened to be one of the most easiest reads of my life. It also was one of the most "guilt-free" reads I've read in a while-meaning that I could take a break for a few days if I needed to it, or leave off on a certain paragraph if I felt like, and then come back to the book without missing too much of a beat.
Captivating words that came from a man who seemed to have found home: home along America's Appalachian Trail-or the "A.T." for short.
Reading this book brought me back to a time when people seemed a little more respectful, a little more friendlier, and a lot more generous. Who knows if the locals of the A.T. today might all be as hospitable and amiable as the ones Earl V. Shaffer encountered during his "Long Cruise" of the trail in the late 1940's. It was still, all the same, most wonderful to read about Mr. Shaffer's exploits, encounters and adventures along the A.T.
Though Mr. Shaffer, who was a lifelong bachelor, did hike the trail solo, he also made no attempt to hide the fact that he also accepted help as needed whenever the opportunity presented itself: a hot meal, shelter or a helpful ride to the next point on the trail when it suited him. A good lesson that I learned from reading this book was that there is strength and fortitude in the "power of one". However, I also learned that "teamwork and generosity" also play a huge role in helping to have a successful life.
This book just so happened to be one of the most easiest reads of my life. It also was one of the most "guilt-free" reads I've read in a while-meaning that I could take a break for a few days if I needed to it, or leave off on a certain paragraph if I felt like, and then come back to the book without missing too much of a beat.
August 18, 2019
The first person to through hike the Appalachian Trail, Earl Schaffer recounts his experience in this easy and informative read. His narrative includes historical pieces about sections the trail passes through, giving interesting tidbits for perspective. A poet, Earl's poems are mixed into the text and show how spending time in nature can move one's spirit, bringing a deeper connection for the reader. His appreciation for nature is further shown in details on the plants, geology and land. A World War II vet, he connects with others who have served while hiking and shed light on the difficulty war experiences can have on the psyche. His experience paved the way for many others, for which the book also serves as a guide for those aiming to hike, with the rewards and challenges along the trail.
June 10, 2024
This memoir is what many consider to be the origin story of AT thru hikers, the account of the first person to do so, Earl Shaffer. A fascinating and entertaining account, Shaffer begins by describing his desire to hike the AT in its entirety after serving in WWII in combat and losing his friend and hiking buddy in battle. He says that he hoped to “hike the army out of me” and seems to do just that over the course of 99 days. After visiting the now well maintained and respectfully protected trail that it is now, it was astonishing to learn what poor condition it was in during the late 1940s. Shaffer had got lost repeatedly and spent much of his journey bushwhacking and dead reckoning his was through. I recommend the print version of this one, as it contains photos that he took along his journey.
November 25, 2018
While this book isn't for everyone, I really enjoyed reading this account of Earl Shaffer's first complete thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1948. At that time the trail's concept was only about 12-15 years old and efforts to create it were mostly abandoned during WW II. So with no maps, little information, few maintained shelters, Earl hiked the 2000 + miles, sleeping in the woods in all kinds of nasty weather, mostly by himself, encountering lots of challenges from rocks, animals, and the search for food and supplies. He was truly a trail blazer, and started a wonderful experience for so many.
March 8, 2020
His accomplishment is amazing. I am a hiker and dream of the trail. This book however as a story is a retelling that seems largely based on pictures written over 30 years from the trip. Much of the inspiration for others came from the verbal recountings they heard of his trip. It is missing the truest story of the trip. There were many anecdotes he mentions in passing that I wish were developed stories. For example at one point he tells the shoe repairman not to reheel the boots in favor of the “Indian way” and then later reheels his boots. Why the change? What was the experience? Guess I just need to walk the trail to find out.
January 3, 2021
Earl Schaffer was the first person to thru hike the AT, and his account is so warmly familiar to those of us who have hiked this trail. It was comforting to realize how little has changed in all the years the AT has been in existence. From the first hiker to now, people still provide kindness and trail magic along the way, the shelters are still familiar names, the brutal climbs and flooded portions of trail still remain, and that sense of wishing the trail could continue at the end still remains. He ends the book by saying "Already I knew that many times I would want to be back again..." and isn't that the sentiment of all who love the trail. The longing to be out there never goes away.
December 18, 2022
Author is known for being the first through hiker on the Appalachian Trail. This book is his account of his 1948 hike from Oglethorpe, Georgia to Kahtadin, Maine. I was glad to read it and mildly amused at his lowkey style of writing. Unlike more recent books I have read of hikers telling their stories( think Cheryl Strayed or Winn Raynor) Shaffer doesn't do any soul searching or processing feelings. He mentions walking for a buddy he lost in WWII and "walking off the war" but that is as revealing as he gets. Kinda refreshing. He tells the reader about the trail--the weather, the vegetation, the trail conditioins and the people he meets along the way.
May 13, 2024
First and foremost I have total respect and admiration for the author. He did what I have yet to do and did it in a time when it was harder to do than it is today (2024). That said, my rating is a bit low for two reasons. First, he’s not an author and it shows in his writing. Sure, he’s a poet, but that’s a different type of writing. Second, it’s a factual recollection of his hike and focuses largely on the terrain, it’s history and people he encountered. There is very little in the way of his feelings and emotions as he hiked. He doesn’t really personalize his story ( not much, but a little at times) and I was hoping for that.
July 23, 2024
3.5 stars. Earl Shaffer is a legend of the Appalachian Trail. I read about him before I made my thru-hike of the AT. In essence everyone who has traveled the long path from Georgia to Maine has walked in his footsteps. It was good to read of his adventure as the first to accomplish a true continuous thru-hike of the trail.
The book is strong in relating the geographical and historical aspects of the trail. Although the AT has changed since his initial journey, so many of the point of interest were part of my trek as well. It brought back incredible memories for me. It was a good book to read on my 1enth anniversary of my personal adventure.
The book is strong in relating the geographical and historical aspects of the trail. Although the AT has changed since his initial journey, so many of the point of interest were part of my trek as well. It brought back incredible memories for me. It was a good book to read on my 1enth anniversary of my personal adventure.
December 22, 2023
I discovered this book on a hike in NGA in 2023 while on a hike with my wife. When we returned home I ordered the book and have only this week finished it. The delay was not due to any weakness of the book but rather to my work schedule. It was a spectacular read, chronicling the author's hike up the AT from GA to ME. Replete with characters, flowers, trees, fires, blisters, hunger, stars, auroras, snow, sweat, and everything in between, it's a paean to creation and to Shaffer's love for deep adventure.
April 7, 2024
Første mann som gikk hele Appalachian trail i 1948! Dette er mer som en loggbok, fra dag til dag, sted til sted, så det er nok ikke for alle. Det er mye repetisjon og egentlig kun om naturen han går på, folk og dyr han møter og hvordan dagene hans er. Men siden jeg har lyst til å gå deler av Appalachian trail en gang, så var dette kjekt å høre på, selv om deler av den spesifikke ruten har blitt endret på siden Earl Shaffer gikk den.
December 18, 2016
I have walked about a mile with my wife and family last summer in the smoky mountains. Have read a couple of books on the adventure and this one was the best.
Written by the first thru hiker I was impressed by the fluid direction and easy read.
This has only just increased the dream of walking more of the AT and more.
Written by the first thru hiker I was impressed by the fluid direction and easy read.
This has only just increased the dream of walking more of the AT and more.
January 29, 2021
In 1948 my parents honeymooned in Letchworth State Park in New York State. That same year Earl V. Shaffer became the first person to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.
I was prepared for an epic. I was not prepared for Schaffer's lyric writing and poetry. A beautiful book. Highly recommended.
I was prepared for an epic. I was not prepared for Schaffer's lyric writing and poetry. A beautiful book. Highly recommended.
January 3, 2024
Detailed and still very listenable (audiobook) account of the first man to thru-hike the entire Appalachian trail in one go. He spent an occasional night off the trail, but mostly not. It's awesome.
And he knows a lot of his nature, too. Very, very enjoyable. I wonder if he wrote anything else?
He did! A sequel--must read...
And he knows a lot of his nature, too. Very, very enjoyable. I wonder if he wrote anything else?
He did! A sequel--must read...
August 19, 2017
I wish this were written closer to when he got off trail, but it was still interesting to see how much the trail has changed over the decades. A must read if you like AT hiker memoirs since he was the first recorded thru-hiker.
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