Walking with Spring | 
 enlarge | Author: Earl V. Shaffer
Publisher: Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Category: Book
List Price: $8.95
Buy New: $4.99
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New (21) Used (9) from $4.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 120594
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4
ISBN: 0917953843
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9780917953842
ASIN: 0917953843
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Book 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 He Writes as well as he Hikes February 11, 2008
After reading many of the more contemporary accounts of thruhiking the AT, I finally got a hold of this great book. In my opinion, I recommend it the highest of any of them.
Unlike most of the other books, he complains the least about the hike, despite countless detours and the usual hardships (yet he still averaged 17 miles a day!). A real strength to this book is that despite the fact he had suffered such psychological trauma during his service in WWII, he hardly mentions it all. There are no long-winded passages of psycho-babble, self-pity in this book. Many subsequent accounts tend to make their problems too much of the story, dragging the reader down.
Instead, you get a real feeling of interest and wonder at the natural world Schaffer experienced--concisely, yet accurately conveyed in words. In addition, he keeps a steady pace of writing to match his hiking, so there are no slow spots. He simply goes about the business of hiking every day, and that strength is carried over into the book clearly.
Other books, such as Bill Bryson's, give a lot of good background and historical information, but a more perceptive, deeply felt account than Walking with Spring would be very difficult indeed, to produce.
The ATC's website has a good list of recommended memoirs which are good resources for more practical and current information, but in the end, this one stands out from and above them.
Marching to the beat of a different drummer February 16, 2004
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
 Refreshing and inspiring August 16, 2003
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
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.
Walking With Spring August 6, 2002
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
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.
The first and the best... November 3, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
What can you say about the first trail journal on the first solo thru-hike (not counting Myron Avery)? Earl Shaffer is a legend and rightly fully so.It is interesting to read... especially when you see what troubles he had... and especially the fact that the trail was not as well marked as it is today. I will be planning my own thru-hike soon - and hope to write (but probably not publish) a journal as half as good as Earl's. My only complaint - and a minor one at that - is that the book ends with Kathadin. I would have liked to read about his adjustment back to "civilization" after the hike.
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