Customer Reviews

Walking with Spring

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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.

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.

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.

Earl Shaffer was the first person to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in one continuous journey in 1948 after getting out of the military following WWII. As he wonderfully describes walking with the Appalachian spring across the mountains, there is much history, adventure and nature to be experienced. We can glimpse backward in time before this famous trail was well-known, when it was thought that no one could hike the entire length in one season. But we also find universal descriptions of what it is like to live outdoors and journey on the trail over the course of a "thru-hike," made today by hundreds each year. This was the first book about hiking the AT, and, after reading many AT books myself, I think it is the best.

Earl Shaffer was a man of few words, and this memoir of his first Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 1948 is no different. This is not a book someone picks up to learn about thru-hiking; there are practically no descriptions of the actual Trail itself, and the amount of road walking Shaffer had to do may have been the genesis of the misperception that the Appalachian Trail is a casual walk through the bucolic countryside of Appalachia. The gear and footwear he used are as anachronistic today as vacuum tubes.

Doesn't matter.

"Walking With Spring" is not a book to physically or materially prepare one for an Appalachian Trail thru-hike, although it could provide some psychological reinforcement. It is instead a memoir of a period in time, the aftermath of WWII, and the recuperative power of the outdoors on the human psyche. John Burroughs and John Muir both knew this, as did Emerson, Thoreau and Frost. This is the argument in defense of A.N.W.R. and other wild places: they are absolutely necessary, albeit often intangibly so.

"Walking With Spring" also seems to belong to a different era, the era of intrepid explorers such as Kane and Peary. Shaffer was the first to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail when many believed that a thru-hike of the Trail was not possible. Although his prose is unassuming, Shaffer understood what he was doing--he knew he would be the first and he took steps to document his hike. He was a true explorer. He made history.

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.

Nowadays it seems like everyone who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail has written a book. Actually even pretenders like Bill Bryson (who hiked something like a quarter of it) would also write one. Of course, thru-hiking the AT is no small feat, and I respect anyone who has honestly done it and those who left a written account. But Earl Shaffer's book is something in its own category.

For one thing, as you undoubtedly already know, Earl Shaffer was the first person to hike the entire AT. This in itself is legendary -- before him, this was simply not known to be possible. His accomplishment has played a role in spreading the "trail fever" and inspired thousands would-be thru-hikers.

But this is a review about the book, so let me get to the point. This is in fact a surprisingly well written book. Earl Shaffer is actually a gifted writer (too bad he was too busy wandering in the mountains to leave us many volumes, but I am grateful for even this one). His narrative is free-flowing, like the mountain stream; his account is succinct, never dragging or boring, and he had a good sense of humor. He even sprinkled the book with his poetry (now, I am not one who "gets" poetry so I won't comment on that). And apparently he is also a pretty competent photographer, as the many pictures in this book illustrate (and there is a DVD of a slideshow of his photographs; I need to check that out some time).

I really think the book is a quite remarkable literary achievement in its own right, even if you don't take into consideration of his historical achievement. Of course, when you do take that into consideration, you will realize it is truly a must-read if you are into the outdoors, and especially if you are planning to, or even fantasizing of, thru-hiking the AT some day (I am not saying I am, but hey you never know).

What a great story from the guy who did it first - - and then again, and again. He made it sound very "do-able".

An easy to read book that was a real eye-opener in regards to the early conditions on the trail. For those of us who have hiked the trail in modern times, it is surprising to read the author's recollection of the many people he ran into who lived in close proximity to the trail and had never even heard of it! This book is a quick read and offers interesting insights concerning self-reliance and self-discovery.

Walking with Spring is excellent!
I enjoyed every moment of reliving Earl's historic walk.
I'm ready to get back out on the trail myself!