Colin Fletcher

Back in the work harness after a two week break (broken in the middle by one day at work which really wasn't fair but, unfortunately, unavoidable). Awaiting me at home was the double treat of Trail and TGO. TGO carried the sad news of the death of Colin Fletcher last month, aged 85. He was a Welshman who had lived in California for many years. He was a writer and an amazing hiker in his earlier years. His books included The Complete Hiker (three different editions), The Man Who Walked Through Time (an account of a walk through the Grand Canyon – I have this book and will read it again) and A Thousand Mile Summer, a book he wrote in the late fifties being an account of a hike in the High Sierra. It is said that he took the time away in order to decide whether to marry a particular girl. They were married on his return but apparently the marriage didn't last long. On Amazon, this book commands a ridiculous price but I've ordered a second-hand copy on Amazon.com which is much cheaper even including p&p. Trail didn't mention Fletcher at all which, I think, shows up one of the differences between the two magazines, something which I intend to reflect on in a future posting.