Earl Shaffer Foundation

about the earl shaffer foundation the non-profit earl shaffer foundation celebrates the life, times, and creative works of earl v. shaffer of pennsylvania (1918 – 2002)...writer, poet, naturalist, photographer, and dedicated environmentalist. earl was the first person, in 1948, to thru-hike the appalachian trail from end to end in one continuous journey, starting from mount oglethorpe, georgia and ending at mount katahdin in maine—a distance of more than 2,000 miles. following years of volunteer efforts with appalachian trail organizations, earl completed a second thru-hike in 1965, trekking north to south, becoming the first person to thru-hike the appalachian trail in both directions. in 1998, toward the close of his life, earl completed a “fiftieth anniversary” thru-hike of the appalachian trail. at the age of 79, he became the oldest person to thru-hike the entire trail—a record that stood until 2004. our mission established in 2002, the earl shaffer foundation was formed to