NOW AVAILABLE: A GRIP ON THE MANE OF LIFE - The Authorized Biography of Earl Shaffer

A GRIP ON THE MANE OF LIFE

The Authorized Biography of Earl Shaffer

by David Donaldson and Maurice Forrester

This long-awaited book is now available and can be ordered online from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Dave Donaldson began work on the book during Earl's last years before his passing in 2002, and eventually joined forces with Appalachian Trail activist Maurice Forrester to bring it to completion. The book was published by the Appalachian Trail Museum in 2014.

Dave was Earl's hiking companion at the end of his 1998 50th anniversary thru-hike of the AT, and was authorized by Earl to write his biography. Countless hours of tape recordings of Earl telling his story were combined with extensive research and interviews with people who knew Earl throughout his life. This book reveals many insights about Earl and how he lived his life before and after his landmark 1948 first successful thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

CLICK HERE for how to purchase Earl's biography

BRAND NEW! Earl's Latest Book SOUTH OF THE SUNSET

BRAND NEW!    Earl's Latest Book

SOUTH OF THE SUNSET: More Poems of World War II including "Voyage to Anguar"

South of the Sunset is a sequel to Earl's first book of World War II poetry, Before I Walked With Spring, which documented in ballad form his entire Army service in "The Doughboy Odyssey." During his years as a Signal Corps specialist, Earl Shaffer poetically recorded the somber (and sometimes amusing) people and events in the Pacific Theater of World War II, a region he affectionately labeled "South of the Sunset."

In this book, Earl's poetry leads the reader from island to island, culture to culture, and on the "Voyage to Anguar" that was part of the Philippine Liberation. South of the Sunset reveals another chapter of Earl's wartime years in the South Pacific prior to his history-making 1948 first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Longer Book Description:

During his years as a Signal Corps specialist, Earl Shaffer poetically recorded the somber (and sometimes amusing) people and events in the Pacific Theater of World War II, a region he affectionately labeled "South of the Sunset." In his poetry, he leads the reader from island to island, culture to culture, and on the "Voyage to Anguar," which was part of the Philippine Liberation.

South of the Sunset is a sequel to Earl's first book of World War II poetry, Before I Walked With Spring, which documented in ballad form his entire Army service in "The Doughboy Odyssey."

After his return from the war years, Earl decided to keep his promise to Walter Winemiller (his boyhood friend who had been killed at Iwo Jima) and attempt a thru-hike of the Appalachian Mountains. That journey was well-chronicled in his best-selling book, Walking With Spring. Now with the publication of South of the Sunset, more is revealed about Earl's hidden years of service in the South Pacific.

You may order South of the Sunset from the Foundation for $12.99 per copy plus shipping and handling.

CLICK TO ORDER HERE

Forthcoming Biography of Earl Shaffer

Dave Donaldson (AT98, Spirit of '48) and Maurice Forrester are currently writing a biography of Earl. It is a work in progress, and no date has yet been announced for publication.