Earl Shaffer's missing sections in 1948

[10-K]

Serious question:

Of the people who have posted in this thread, can you name one who is up in arms about this?

Can you name anyone anywhere who is up an arm about this? Other than those who are up in arms refuting the report, I mean.

I've read most of the report and I found it very interesting. Certainly a lot of effort was put into the research.

I don't have a dog in this fight - doesn't change my life one way or the other. But, in general, I don't have a problem with someone taking a closer look at a story/myth/legend and subjecting it to scrutiny.

[emerald]

You know, I haven't noticed anyone dare contest any specific claims. There do seem to be some who have taken offense and rejected the research outright or the conclusions drawn.

Surely, we all know it would be foolish to expect any agreement across-the-board on what constitutes a through hike.

I contend ATC ought to get out of the business of recognizing 2000 milers. Even if they aren't yet ready to take that step, they might consider modifying what's on their website somewhat and mentioning Gene Espy as an early through hiker.

It shouldn't be too difficult to bend a bit and make everyone happy. Maybe all it takes are some carefully chosen words.

[kanga]

no, i can not name a single person who is up an arm about this..
but seriously, weren't we just talking about a multi-thru hiker that was up in arms about this? or was it just the voices again?

[kanga]

i don't either. i found the report, or as much of it as i could get through, very interesting. it's amazing some of the stuff that he has found out. i just don't see the point in trying to get earl's thru status knocked out. seems petty. he was a pioneer and someone the hiking world looks up to. i think the effort he had to go through to hike a relatively not so established trail over 2,000 miles is incredible and a billion times harder than what the spoiled brats that hike it now have to go through.

[kanga]

i hate the new whiteblaze. why is it not letting me quote?

[hikerboy57]

I kind of think its a moot point. I found the research very well done, and it certainly points to earl not being a real thru from the purist sense, but I felt that it diminished his accomplishment, being able to do something that at the time was deemd impossible.But sometimes we all get a little to caught up in labels, and forget about the accomplishment itself.Most 2000 milers are reported on an honor system, and until GPS tracking is used for every potential thru, almost anyones record can be disputed, that every step of the AT was actually hiked.. But the hiker himself will always know what he accomplished I still havent totally finished sifting through the entire report. It's a phenomenal piece of research. But i still consider earl the original thru.

[fiddlehead]

Lawyers have so screwed up the freedoms we had in America.
Now, they are trying to screw with Earl's famous hike.
Shame on them (and us for paying this kind of attention to them)

[emerald]

Why is it so important to some who was 1st? What Earl Shaffer did after his hike was much more important. That ought to be the take home message.

I'd like to see if I can make a point by going a bit off-topic. Yesterday, I read one of the most beautiful tributes I ever read. It's short, but it says so much.

Be right back with the lnk.

http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2011/06/28/we-miss-her-already/

[Lone Wolf]

earl is just another guy that took a long walk. he wasn't no god or anything special.

[k2basecamp]

Well i just learned some things about grandma gatewood that i didn't know:She had 11 children ! That's pretty good preparation for a thru.

[rickb]

Well i just learned some things about grandma gatewood that i didn't know:She had 11 children ! That's pretty good preparation for a thru.

I think that Earl Shaffer had a great deal to say about Grandma Gatewood as well.

I forget some of the details.

[Lone Wolf]

kinda hypocritical too

[Hikerhead]

i hate the new whiteblaze. why is it not letting me quote?

How did you feel about the old whiteblaze?

[10-K]

I can't figure out why somebody would lie about hiking the whole trail (any trail). That's just dumb..

The only person you're lying to is yourself. I'd lose all sense of self-respect if I told a lie like that.

[Majortrauma]

Agreed but some people just have "no code" and will lie about anything. Sort of like miscreants posing as OIF or OEF vets to include the fake decorations/medals.
I have read the report and yeah, Earl had a rough time of it but based on the rigor applied to the research in that report it would appear that Earl was not thew first "thru hiker".
And like 10-K said earlier, it doesn't affect my life one bit but the data presented by the author makes it clear that Earl was not the first "thru-hiker."

[Skid.]

The AT was much different back then. Easier, or harder?? Who is to say, unless they followed Earl every step of his journey.

[max patch]

The AT was much different back then. Easier, or harder?? Who is to say, unless they followed Earl every step of his journey.

Your'e kidding, right?

Easier or harder? I'm going to go way out on a limb and say harder. Much harder. And I didn't follow Earl because I was still a figment of my mother's imagination waay back in 1948.

[emerald]

Earl Shaffer was the first person to attempt a through hike. Whether or not he accomplished his objective is a matter of opinion still debated by those who care about such things more than 60 years after the fact.

[hikerboy57]

Put it in the books with an asterisk, along with Barry Bonds home run record.

[emerald]

Earl Shaffer, Myron Avery, Jean Stephenson and students of A.T. history have always understood there is an asterisk.