Colin Fletcher died

[HAMTERO]

http://www.backpacker.com/article/1,2646,11007,00.html

I remember sitting in Jr high, reading his books. I still have my Svea 123.

 

[una_dogger]

From the article:
"....sitting on a peak and thinking of nothing at all except perhaps that it's a wonderful thing to sit on a peak and think of nothing at all"

What wonderful writing. I haven't read his books but know of them; perhaps now I will. Thanks for posting this article.

I find it so tragic that he spent his final years in a nursing home after being hit by a car -- hiking into my eighties is something I also aspire to do.

Godspeed to him, I'm sure his Spirit is walking now along his favorite landscape and free of the broken body he spent his final years within.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

The end of an era. Another friend gone. Sad.

 

[walker]

Good Bye Old Friend

When I started hiking, there was little out there to help the beginner. Then I found Mr. Fletcher's book "The Complete Walker III". After reading it cover to cover I knew I had a lot to learn. Here I am thirty years later and still learning.

Thanks Colin. We will always have your words to guide us along that "long brown path".

Happy Hiking...Walker

PS. Say HI to E. Abbey for me

 

[Mad Townie]

He got me started on figuring out the "new" hiking and camping gear, too. That Sierra cup was my constant companion for years. I remember when the "New" Complete Walker came out, with lots of new stuff in it.

An amazing man.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

That's too bad. We have two of his books and they were a huge help when we were starting out.

 

[Rick]

First Abbey and then Fletcher!!!! What is this world coming to???

Seriously, Other than "Freedom of the Hills", "The Complete Walker III" was my bible. I was inspired to go to the Grand Canyon after the "Man Who walked through time", (though I have never completed the mission to the bottom). I must have read those books a dozen times. In fact TCW III is on the floor next to my bed as I was reading it a few weeks ago....

 

[Seeker]

So sad that his life was cut short by such a tragic accident. I have no doubt that he would have easily made it another 15 to 20 years, given his fitness level. What a fight he put up! Five years!

However, he did live well and that makes the loss a little easier to take. While he was not what one would call a "clean writer," I always enjoyed reading his books--his wonderful character was always right there on the page. "River" is a great book in particular--nice to see the growth in the man as he reflects back on his life--and to see the example he set for those of us who hope to keep having adventures well into our older years.

Peace to him.

 

[dvbl]

At the beginning of "The Man Who Walked Through Time", he describes the first time he actually saw the Grand Canyon. To me, it is by far the best description I have ever read on the subject, and is exactly how I felt when I first saw it. Amazing writing.

 

[Raymond]

He was a real backpacker, all right. He even had a filed-down toothbrush.

Harvey Manning is gone, too.

 

[--M.]

My dad had two books always lying around when I was a kid: "Freedom of the Hills" (by The Mountaineers) and Fletcher's "The Complete Walker." I read his Grand Canyon book (the aforementioned "The Man Who Walked Through Time") a couple of years ago and was reminded of what an engaging and engrossing writer he was. I always felt like I was right there, swimming across that stream or slabbing across an open face above the Colorado.

Between Fletcher and Brad Washburn, it certainly feels like an era has passed. Think of the combined impact of these two people on the planet and its people. Wow. I bow before their Buddha natures!

 

[sardog1]

Almost as much as I am, he's to blame for the fact that our honeymoon was spent backpacking. (My bride had never camped out before our wedding. Her third night outdoors was spent bivouacked, feet braced against a tree to avoid sliding down the hill. Out of water. The rest of the trip was fabulous.)

The outdoor community owes him a tremendous debt of gratitude. Sure, the trails got more crowded, at least for a while. But how many shopping malls, ski resorts, and housing developments do you suppose were nixed, by people motivated by the pleasures of their Fletcher-abetted backpacking experiences?

RIP.