Earl V. Shaffer doc Not Too Distant Trails: Appalachian Trail poems, songs, meditations

Although Earl Shaffer is known world wide as the first thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail (having hiked the full length of the Trail in one hiking season in 1948), few know that Earl is also a prolific poet and gifted photographer. Not Too Distant Trails contains a collection of his Appalachian Trail poetry illustrated with 81 color photographs by Earl and the AT community. The Earl Shaffer Foundation proudly presents this book to celebrate Earl's 100th birthday and the 70th anniversary of his first thru-hike.While on the Trail, Earl Shaffer keenly observed nature and recorded those observations, experiences, and meditations in rhythm and rhyme in his journals using the classic verse styles of Longfellow, Kipling, Whitman, and Whittier.Earl considered his poetry to be his second best contribution to Life while rating his military service in World War II as his highest contribution. The fact that he never mentioned his hiking achievements, which caught the attention of the Smithsonian and hikers world wide, is a mystery.Appalachian Trail Mile Posts (northbound) are included for special points of interest along the Trail. This book is simply a must have for anyone interested in nature, hiking, photography, poetry, or the Appalachian Trail. Other Works by Earl Shaffer:Before there was A Walk in the Woods or Wild, there was Walking with Spring. Shaffer's masterful blend of prose, poetry, and photos provides the first-ever accounting of a thru-hike. It is considered by AT hikers today as a classic and is likely to be the most profound influence on readers to undertake a thru-hike of their own, especially returning war veterans who attempt to “walk off the War” as Earl chose to do in 1948.In 1998, Earl returned to the Trail for his last thru-hike northbound, Georgia to Maine. Earl recorded this hike in the ancient poetic form of an ode (Ode to the Appalachian Trail) and in prose contained in a large coffee table book (Appalachian Trail: Calling Me Back to the Hills) with the beauty of the Trail captured in professional photography by Bart Smith.As a Signal Corpsman, Earl traversed the South Pacific War Theater stringing communication lines before and during the island battles. In his poetic military journal, he leads the reader from island to island, culture to culture and along the way describes the battles, people, war machinery, and snafus in war planning. Before I Walked With Spring and South of the Sunset document his war experiences.Over the years, Earl enjoyed strumming his guitar and singing his lyrics. These recordings are available on CD through the Earl Shaffer Foundation which exists to promote the publication of his many works as well as to work with other conservancy groups to protect our wild lands and promote the outdoors—for its beauty, adventure, and opportunities to heal.Readers who wish to learn more about Earl Shaffer, the Appalachian Trail, and thru-hiking can visit the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace State Park (Gardners, PA) or the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (Harpers Ferry, WV).