Earl Shaffer, the first person to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail, died May 5 in Lebanon, Pa. He was 83.
The cause was liver cancer, his brother John said.
Mr. Shaffer lived most of his life in a log cabin in Idaville, Pa., about 5 miles from the trail.
Four years ago, on the 50th anniversary of his first hike, he made history again by being the first to hike the trail–which had grown about 100 miles, to 2,158 miles–in the opposite direction, north to south.
“I just like to walk in the woods and sleep on mountaintops,” said Mr. Shaffer, a throwback to an age of hiking before high-tech fabrics, featherweight packs and cell phones.
He wore long trousers, a flannel shirt and a pith helmet with mosquito net. He carried a rucksack from World War II, but no sleeping mat, tent or stove, because of their weight.
