In 1953, George F. Miller became the sixth person to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one year, and at age 72, was by far the oldest.

A retired college professor living in Washington, D.C., was a seasoned long distance walker--as a young man he walked more than 1,000 miles from Farmington, Missouri to Washington in just 26 days.

Miller was also an innovator when it came to his gear. As the photograph here shows, his pack (which he made himself) consisted of four separate units spread from his chest to his back.

Mildren Norman Ryder (1908-1981) was the first woman to thru hike the Appalachian Trail in 1952. Ryder, hiking with her friend Richard Lamb, began at Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia, hiked north to the Susquehanna River, then traveled to Maine, where she and Lamb hiked south to the Susquehanna. Along the way, they detoured north to the Canadian border in order to hike the Long Trail in Vermont from end to end, thereby adding more than 270 miles to their thru hike. Their choice of route meant that Ryder and Lamb were also the first successful "flip flop" thru hikers.

Following her traverse of the Appalachian Trail, Ryder adopted the name Peace Pilgrim and spent the rest of her life walking all over the United States and Canada--more than 25,000 miles--promoting peace.

Gene Espy was the second person to thru hike the Appalachian Trail from end to end in one season during the summer of 1951.

During his first solo thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in the summer of 1948, Earl Shaffer kept a diary of his trip, logging information about the condition of the Trail, the people he met, wildlife he encountered, and photographs he took. Shaffer was also a poet, and the diary contains many of the poems he wrote along the way. The diary is now part of the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and has been transcribed in its entirety.

Earl Shaffer at the conclusion of his thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in the summer of 1948. Although some have disputed his claim to have hiked the entire trail that summer, accusing him of skipping sections or hitching rides in cars, Shaffer is still widely considered to be the first "thru hiker" of the Appalachian Trail.

Earl Shaffer (1918-2002) is widely considered to be the first person to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in one year during the summer of 1948. 

Shaffer's diary of his first thru hike has been transcribed by volunteers at the Smithsonian Institution and can be read in its entirety online. The diary entry associated with this image reads: "About noon came to sign “Appalachian Trail continues across river cross at Harrisburg bridge and take Rockville car no. 5 to Linglestown Road”. Have now hiked 25 miles past Center Point, total of 1050 miles. 1000 more to go."

Thru hiker A.J. Matthews (Blue Steel) reaches the end of his thru hike on Mount Katahdin on August 9, 2017.

Rahawa Haile proudly stands atop Mt. Katahdin after completing her thru hike of the Appalachian Trail

David Yashar "Daredevil" and Nancy Watkins "Seen it Done it" Taken at the Appalachian Trail Conference (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) July 8, 1994 in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Earl Shaffer on Mt. Katahdin at the end of his thru hike in 1948. Taken by an unknown hiker

Be loyal. Drink good beer. Love all who love and support you. Give no shit. Take no shit. Stand up for someone weak. Give back. Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Protect something til death. Fuck hard. Love harder...Take care of your people...Be part of something bigger than yourself. Learn how to listen to shoot. Listen to good music often. Eat well. Love all animals. Crush anyone who harms women, the disabled, or children. Be the example. Live it.
-- Stayed the night, a little late but good job all.
-- Thru-hiker NoBo on 900 miles. Keep on trucking ladies & gents.
Mau & Dirt Time
[website: http://karellahikeat.org]