New research reveals that iconic long-distance hiker Earl Shaffer, long credited with the first through hike of the Appalachian Trail, wasn’t telling the truth about his walk. Is he still a hero?
Backpacker
Edited by Zoe Gates
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A Hero’s Journey
In walking over 9,000 miles along the perimeter of the United States, Rue McKenrick got shot at, got stopped by police 20 times, got attacked by biting ants, had a tree fall on him and battled depression. And he never stopped being an idealist.
Backpacker
Edited by Casey Lyons
Meltdown
Three scientists chronicle the life, death, and the last stand of Grizzly Glacier.
Backpacker
Edited by Casey Lyons
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King of The Mountains
My Gilmanton, New Hampshire neighbor has likely been to more remote spots in the White Mountains than any other living hiker.
Backpacker
Edited by Dennis Lewon
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Don’t Stop Now
At age 77, long distance hiker George “Billy Goat” Woodard has no fixed address and is forever walking in the wilderness or making his way to the wilderness—on trains, in friends’ cars, and sometimes by hitchhiking.
Backpacker
Edited by Dennis Lewon. Photographs by Bob Stefko.
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Kindergarten Can Wait
At age 5, Christian Thomas Geiger hiked the Appalachian Trail, all 2,180 miles of it, with his mother and stepdad. Was this an act of child abuse?
Backpacker
Edited by Dennis Lewon. Photographs by Brown W. Cannon III.
Gold Medal winner, Adventure Travel, 2016 Lowell Thomas Awards.
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The Long Way Home
Fourteen years ago, Karl Bushby set out to hike 36,000 miles across four continents. He’s still trying to get home.
Backpacker
Edited by Dennis Lewon. Photograph by Holly Wilmeth.
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The Trail to Neverland
A summer with the college students working in the rustic hikers’ huts of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Edited by Dennis Lewon.
Backpacker
Edited by Dennis Lewon
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Lost & Found
Social worker John Donovan was a monklike figure who lived alone in a succession of dingy $300-a-month apartments. Strange things transpired after he got lost and died in the high mountains of Southern California.
Backpacker
Edited by David Howard.
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