(The following story ran in the Daily Item on July 15, 1998)

HARPERS FERRY, W. Va. — After hiking for over a month in Virginia, I finally crossed into West Virginia and reached the picturesque town of Harpers Ferry.

While here, I decided to pay a visit to the office of the Appalachian Trail Conference, the organization that oversees management of the trail.

As I turned on to Washington Street and neared the ATC building, I suddenly saw before me a pack of photographers and reporters.

Great, I thought, I’m famous! Maybe they want to do know how I’m doing after hiking 1,000 miles. Maybe they want to know what I thought of the trail in Virginia. Maybe they just want me to offer some keen insight on the Appalachian Trail.

As I got excited about my first — and probably last — press conference, one thing became obvious: These people didn’t care who I was, how I was doing or how far I had come.

So much for my 15 minutes of fame.

No, this media mob had assembled to meet Earl Shaffer, who was hiking just a few minutes behind me.

In 1948, Shaffer became the first person ever to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. This year, on the 50th anniversary of that historic achievement, Shaffer is doing it all over again — at age 79.

Shaffer left Springer Mountain in Georgia in early May and hopes to finish in five months. He seldom takes days off, hiking steadily between 10 and 15 miles a day.

Shaffer is a throwback to backpacking’s early days. He carries his gear in a 1960s-era rucksack and wears work boots, long pants and flannel shirt and a pith helmet.

His once thick black hair is now gray and thinning, but his legs are strong and his dark eyes are sharp. His slow, deep voice is measured and rich with wisdom. When Earl Shaffer talks, hikers listen.

Shaffer is, without question, the most popular topic on the trail this summer. As I’ve moved north, I’ve been asked one question more than any other: “Have you met Earl?” No one needs to mention his last name.

Actually, I first met Shaffer back in April, before I knew he was planning to hike the trail again. Shaffer near Boiling Springs, Pa., so we met near Duncannon and hiked up to Hawk Rock, an outcropping that overlooks the Susquehanna River and one of his favorite spots in Pennsylvania. He negotiated the rocky terrain that day like someone 25 years younger.

I then met Shaffer again a couple of weeks ago in Shenandoah National Park and sat down with him for a long lunch. No reporters, no hoopla. Just Earl and I. It was an afternoon I’ll treasure, a 90-minute individual audience with a hiking legend.

He spoke of his current trek — his excitement and his frustration — and of the trail to which he has been so intricately connected for the last half-century.

He also spoke, in a weary tone, of all the attention he’s received this summer. Shaffer is a simple man who likes his privacy, but he isn’t getting much these days. Last week, “Good Morning America” sent a crew on the trail to meet with Shaffer, and several other major media outlets have tracked him down as well.

As we sat at lunch the other day, Shaffer recounted how one reporter asked permission to hike with him for the afternoon. Fine, Shaffer said. He knew the trail ahead was level and smooth, and he deliberately quickened his pace, leaving the much younger reporter gasping to keep up.

“On the flat parts,” he said with a mischievous gleam in his eye, “I can still move.”

Tomorrow morning, Shaffer will move again, pushing a little further north. I’m now a couple of days ahead of Shaffer, but I consider myself fortunate to have met him and treasure our time together.

I have now passed the halfway point, nearly 1,100 miles behind me. That still leaves more than 1,000 miles, though, before the end of the trail at Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

If and when I reach Katahdin, I imagine a horde of reporters and photographers will be on hand.

Of course, they’ll all be waiting for Earl.