They called him the 'Crazy One'

He was a simple-living man who became a national treasure.

The hiking community is still praising Shiloh native Earl V. Shaffer nearly three years after his death. In 1948, Shaffer became the first person to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one steady journey, from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

He hiked the Trail in reverse, from Maine to Georgia, in 1965.

For a while, he was even the oldest thru-hiker, after he finished a 50th anniversary thru-hike at age 79 in 1998. He died in May of 2002.

In the last few years of his life, Shaffer developed a cult following of sorts. Not only for his legendary accomplishments but also for the way he lived and hiked.

The 1935 William Penn High graduate did his anniversary hike using only the basics. He wore a beige pith helmet and carried his few belongings in a World War II military backpack with a metal frame. He used a sleeping bag and two tarps - no tent. He often simply slept on the ground.

His Trail name was "Crazy One."

And the hiking community still loves him so.

Last year's annual Trail Days festival in Damascus, Va., featured a performance of songs from a CD based on Shaffer's poetry. A slideshow accompanied it. And a brass plaque and framed images of Shaffer were presented for

display in The Place, a popular hiker hostel in Damascus.

In October, a version of the tribute was presented to a crowd of more than 400 during the annual Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association gathering in West Virginia.

Shaffer lived much of his life by himself in York Springs, Adams County. His cat and goats were often his only company. He never married.

He lived in a converted chicken coop that was stacked to the roof with his beloved books and poetry. A home without running water. Only a wood stove for heat and an outhouse for a bathroom.

He gardened and hiked and helped care for the Appalachian Trail. He wrote poetry and loved to talk about his military service. He visited with his brother John Shaffer in Shiloh, the one who looked after him as best he could.

Earl Shaffer chose to live this way.

A simple man who became a national treasure.

MORE ON SHAFFER

Visit http://www.earlshaffer.com to learn more about Earl Shaffer, to read about the mission of the Earl Shaffer Foundation, or to order any of Shaffer's books.

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