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Post by downriver on Jul 25, 2021 15:28:38 GMT -8
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Jul 25, 2021 19:26:42 GMT -8
Nice article - I bought the book some time ago, so now I guess I'll have to dig it out and read it. Finally.
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Post by bradmacmt on Jul 26, 2021 5:47:10 GMT -8
In 1974 I was a young teen muddling around in our public library, looking for the "right" book in the stacks. I glimpsed a brand new book on display with a colorful dust jacket showing unusual gear neatly arranged in a very arresting way. I picked up the book, scanned it briefly, and checked it out. It was, of course, The New Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher. It genuinely altered the course of my life in many ways, and is the book that launched me head-long into backpacking. By the next summer I'd completed a 12 day, 120 mile trip in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
I read all of Fletcher's books (I still own all of them). But, I've got to be honest; I found, and still find, much of his writing a bit tedious - as if he's trying too hard for gravitas. 3 years ago I read Robert Wehrman's Fletcher biography, Walking Man. It was a confirmation of a gut feeling I'd had about Fletcher since I was a teen - he really was a very broken human, and that sadly came through loud and clear. Regardless, I bless the man for the inspiration he provided to a kid in real need of something healthy to latch on to.
Of course he absolutely was not the "father of thru-walking." That honor probably belongs to Earl Shaffer, the first to walk the entire AT in one season in 1948.
I've also got to say I'm sure Fletcher would detest so much of what is going on in the back country - the seemingly limitless number of self-absorbed dog people, the monetization of backpacking and thru-hiking, with the blow by blow updates posted on social media, trail runners, bikers, etc., etc. So much of what I see misses the ethos of what Fletcher believed and preached.
Sigh...
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 26, 2021 7:09:35 GMT -8
Earl Shaffer, the first to walk the entire AT in one season in 1948. I read his book "walking with spring" a few years back and really enjoyed it. It must be out of print now as someone on Amazon thinks people would $200 for a copy and thrift books thinks that $40 is a good price. It was good but I'm not sure it was that good. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2021 10:12:31 GMT -8
In 1974 I was a young teen muddling around in our public library, looking for the "right" book in the stacks. I glimpsed a brand new book on display with a colorful dust jacket showing unusual gear neatly arranged in a very arresting way. I picked up the book, scanned it briefly, and checked it out. It was, of course, The New Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher. It genuinely altered the course of my life in many ways, and is the book that launched me head-long into backpacking. By the next summer I'd completed a 12 day, 120 mile trip in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I read all of Fletcher's books (I still own all of them). But, I've got to be honest; I found, and still find, much of his writing a bit tedious - as if he's trying too hard for gravitas. 3 years ago I read Robert Wehrman's Fletcher biography, Walking Man. It was a confirmation of a gut feeling I'd had about Fletcher since I was a teen - he really was a very broken human, and that sadly came through loud and clear. Regardless, I bless the man for the inspiration he provided to a kid in real need of something healthy to latch on to. Of course he absolutely was not the "father of thru-walking." That honor probably belongs to Earl Shaffer, the first to walk the entire AT in one season in 1948. I've also got to say I'm sure Fletcher would detest so much of what is going on in the back country - the seemingly limitless number of self-absorbed dog people, the monetization of backpacking and thru-hiking, with the blow by blow updates posted on social media, trail runners, bikers, etc., etc. So much of what I see misses the ethos of what Fletcher believed and preached. Sigh... Yep. He's the reason why I took up backpacking same year too! And I still have the svea 123 he swore by. Why would I ever need another stove??? |
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Post by bradmacmt on Jul 27, 2021 4:24:14 GMT -8
And I still have the svea 123 he swore by. Yes indeed. I got my Svea in the spring of 1975. It was $11.25 from REI. I still have it and it still works great, though I'll admit I haven't used it on a trip since the 1990's. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 6:05:32 GMT -8
And I still have the svea 123 he swore by. Yes indeed. I got my Svea in the spring of 1975. It was $11.25 from REI. I still have it and it still works great, though I'll admit I haven't used it on a trip since the 1990's. and you probably had to save money for it - I did! purchased it from a local store Appalachian Outfitters in Vienna VA.
I remember my dad cussing about my new expensive hobby.
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Post by downriver on Jul 27, 2021 15:43:17 GMT -8
In 1974 I was a young teen muddling around in our public library, looking for the "right" book in the stacks. I glimpsed a brand new book on display with a colorful dust jacket showing unusual gear neatly arranged in a very arresting way. I picked up the book, scanned it briefly, and checked it out. It was, of course, The New Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher. It genuinely altered the course of my life in many ways, and is the book that launched me head-long into backpacking. By the next summer I'd completed a 12 day, 120 mile trip in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I read all of Fletcher's books (I still own all of them). But, I've got to be honest; I found, and still find, much of his writing a bit tedious - as if he's trying too hard for gravitas. 3 years ago I read Robert Wehrman's Fletcher biography, Walking Man. It was a confirmation of a gut feeling I'd had about Fletcher since I was a teen - he really was a very broken human, and that sadly came through loud and clear. Regardless, I bless the man for the inspiration he provided to a kid in real need of something healthy to latch on to. Of course he absolutely was not the "father of thru-walking." That honor probably belongs to Earl Shaffer, the first to walk the entire AT in one season in 1948. I've also got to say I'm sure Fletcher would detest so much of what is going on in the back country - the seemingly limitless number of self-absorbed dog people, the monetization of backpacking and thru-hiking, with the blow by blow updates posted on social media, trail runners, bikers, etc., etc. So much of what I see misses the ethos of what Fletcher believed and preached. Sigh... Colin suffered a lot. Abandoned by his father, sent away to boarding school by his mum, her early death, left by his second wife (and her cheating) six years as a Royal Marine during WW II, witness to the horrors of war. Not always pleasant seeing those we respect in print not looking so good in real life. Fortunately, his writings inspired many to get outside and explore. I found the chapters of his time in San Francisco and Berkeley to be very interesting. What a great time to live and enjoy the Bay Area. Regards, DR |
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desert dweller
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Power to the Peaceful...Hate does not create.
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Post by desert dweller on Jul 28, 2021 8:41:08 GMT -8
I read Dr. Robert Wehrman's biography of Fletcher (Walking Man – The Secret Life of Colin Fletcher) when it first came out. I thought it was a well told story. I even exchanged a couple of emails with Wehrman with a couple of questions about his research.
I've read all the books the article lists by Fletcher but only the Complete Walker II and not the original or any of the iterations. The hardest to get into was The Winds of Mara. It just wasn't "catchy". But, I made it through. The last one I read was River: One Man’s Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea (1997), which I found very interesting.
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Post by bradmacmt on Jul 28, 2021 9:44:28 GMT -8
Totally agree on the Winds Of Mara… the toughest slog of the bunch.
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Post by downriver on Jul 28, 2021 12:39:24 GMT -8
I read Dr. Robert Wehrman's biography of Fletcher (Walking Man – The Secret Life of Colin Fletcher) when it first came out. I thought it was a well told story. I even exchanged a couple of emails with Wehrman with a couple of questions about his research. I've read all the books the article lists by Fletcher but only the Complete Walker II and not the original or any of the iterations. The hardest to get into was The Winds of Mara. It just wasn't "catchy". But, I made it through. The last one I read was River: One Man’s Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea (1997), which I found very interesting. I really enjoyed River; it was interesting seeing Colin open up about his life, his mother, his duty during WW II and his failed relationships. I think he also knew it was going to be his last big journey. He had heart problems during the journey and was lucky finish the adventure in Mexico. He had heart surgery almost immediately after finishing the river journey. The river journey served as a metaphor for his life; it was a chance to see Fletcher on a personal level. I also liked Colin for admitting he was wrong about Ed Abbey, and he regretted how he treated Abbey after Abbey reached out to Fletcher on several occasions. Regards, DR |
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Post by downriver on Aug 18, 2021 15:30:38 GMT -8
My Fletcher collection...  |
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Post by downriver on Aug 18, 2021 23:12:01 GMT -8
Here’s an interesting site featuring articles about and by Fletcher (scroll down to the center of the page on the right). Fun to read some of his old articles in Field & Stream. Also, nice to see a few profile articles on him. www.colinfletcher.com/Memorabilia.htmlRegards, DR |
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Aug 19, 2021 6:36:48 GMT -8
My Fletcher collection... Good collection. I have them all except The Man From the Cave, but I know about it. And, I have Complete Walker II. On a side note, I can swear that the first edition of The Complete Walker used the old British spelling for Complete i.e. Compleat. But, when I looked Google Images of pictures of the first edition they all show it as Complete. It's going to bug me all day till I get home and see if I can find the reference to it. |
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ecocentric
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Post by ecocentric on Aug 26, 2021 13:12:06 GMT -8
The Complete Walker was my chief textbook until I got advanced enough to need Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. The Man Who Walked Through Time was more transformational. That was when I started seeing walking as a lot more than a physical activity, it could also be a journey to more spiritual awareness.
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