Drew Brummitt: Class Text 4 - Coupling the Scenic with Journey

 This section of the class text focuses mostly on an individual named Earl Shaffer. His story is very saddening because it describes how he lost his childhood friend during their service in WWII. He decided to walk the trail to attempt to clear his head of all the trauma he suffered from his duty. He was called the “Crazy One” because he decided to participate in a pilgrimage along the Appalachian Trail by doing a thru-hike, which is an end-to-end trip. The section goes on to mention how he started a trend of participation in thru-hikes along the Appalachian Trail by mentioning names such as Emma Gatewood, who hiked the trail to escape from an abusive marriage she had endured in the past and Ed Garvey, who had his book published by National Geographic. These instances have inspired me to try hiking as a method of recovering from negative thoughts that I’ve faced due to my past experiences. It was really interesting to read about how much of an impact Shaffer had and about the legacy he left behind in proving that a thru-hike of the AT was in fact possible.

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