ALDHA’s Ed Garvey

(Psst! Follow the double blaze to an excerpt from Ed’s book...)

In 1970, upon his retirement at the age of 55, Ed Garvey set out for a northbound hike from Georgia to Maine. He wasn’t the first to do it, but at that time, thru-hiking was still relatively rare. There were no hordes on the trail at the start, like there are nowadays.

He also wasn’t the first to take notes and later write about his adventure.

But he was the first to carefully explain his preparations and gather useful information along the way that could be of some benefit to those who might follow in his footsteps. And bigosh, did they ever follow in his footsteps.

When his book came out in 1971, it coincided with a general nationwide, back-to-nature movement. The popularity of his book, “Appalachian Hiker,” arguably did more to raise the awareness of thru-hiking than any other single event. In the years that followed his book, more people than ever took to the trail, trying to hike from Georgia to Maine or vice versa. It has never been the same since.

Ed tried to do a 20-year anniversary hike in 1990, at the age of 75, but after flip-flopping to Maine, he wasn’t quite able to piece the whole trail together because of a foot injury and other wear and tear. Still, he recorded his adventure in typical fashion, writing notes every day like he did during his first hike, and after adding a few additional stories over the past few years, he gathered enough material for a new book.

“The New Appalachian Trail” was published in July ’97 by Menasha Ridge Press of Birmingham, Alabama. It is available for sale through the Appalachian Trail Conference’s “Ultimate Trail Store,” as well as other bookstores.

You can read the foreword to his book here.

At the 1995 fall Gathering of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, members bestowed on the then-80-year-old Garvey their highest tribute: honorary life membership in ALDHA. He had faithfully attended almost every ALDHA Gathering, making what turned out to be his last trip to the annual fall conference in 1997, when it was held in Hanover, N.H.

In 1996, he was named one of 10 “American Land Heroes” by the Wilderness Society in the first such awards ever presented by the group. It was in recognition of his many years of work on behalf of the Appalachian Trail.

Ed passed away on Sept. 20, 1999, of congestive heart failure.

“The New Appalachian Trail” ~ Menasha Ridge Press ~ Birmingham, Alabama
ISBN 0-89732-209-6 ~ $14.95 ~ 306 pages ~ 6" x 9" soft ~ b&w photos and illustrations

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