To paraphrase an old saying, "to know the wilderness is to love it." ...and you encouraged people to get up, get out, hike and know the wilderness.
Colin Fletcher was an inspiration to hikers and backpackers everywhere. His book, The Complete Walker, was the backpacker's Bible for decades. In 1963 Colin became the first to walk the length of the Grand Canyon entirely within the rim of the canyon in one go. His book, The Man Who Walked Through Time, chronicles this journey.
Mr. Fletcher was born in Cardiff, Wales, on March 14, 1922, the only child of Herbert and Margaret Williams Fletcher. After high school, he joined the Royal Marines and served during World War II. Captain Colin Fletcher was an instructor at the Commando Mountain Warfare Training Centre at St Ives. During the Normandy Landings on D Day he commanded 'F' Troop Medium Machine Gun Section of 45 Royal Marine Commando, Royal Marines. Post war residing overseas he was a member of the Commando Association (UK) He went to Africa after the war and worked on a farm and as a road builder in Kenya and Rhodesia. Then, in the early 1950s, he went to western Canada to work as a prospector. In 1956, he moved to San Francisco.
Recognizing his influence and legacy, Annette McGivney, editor of Backpacker Magazine, has written that "Colin was sort of the founding father of modern backpacking, the first person to write about going out for an extended period and being self-sufficient." Because many people started following Fletcher's advice in The Complete Walker, according to McGivney, "the book could be credited with starting the backpacking industry," including equipment makers and periodicals like Backpacker Magazine.
"After Vietnam, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. So many of my friends had died from bullet holes," recalls Backpacker Magazine contributing editor Buck Tilton. "I read The Man Who Walked Through Time, and it was the only thing that made sense to me. Fletcher's words gave meaning to backpacking. I loaded my pack exactly the way Fletcher did and carried a walking stick like his. He was my hero."
Colin Fletcher was an inspiration to hikers and backpackers everywhere. His book, The Complete Walker, was the backpacker's Bible for decades. In 1963 Colin became the first to walk the length of the Grand Canyon entirely within the rim of the canyon in one go. His book, The Man Who Walked Through Time, chronicles this journey.
Mr. Fletcher was born in Cardiff, Wales, on March 14, 1922, the only child of Herbert and Margaret Williams Fletcher. After high school, he joined the Royal Marines and served during World War II. Captain Colin Fletcher was an instructor at the Commando Mountain Warfare Training Centre at St Ives. During the Normandy Landings on D Day he commanded 'F' Troop Medium Machine Gun Section of 45 Royal Marine Commando, Royal Marines. Post war residing overseas he was a member of the Commando Association (UK) He went to Africa after the war and worked on a farm and as a road builder in Kenya and Rhodesia. Then, in the early 1950s, he went to western Canada to work as a prospector. In 1956, he moved to San Francisco.
Recognizing his influence and legacy, Annette McGivney, editor of Backpacker Magazine, has written that "Colin was sort of the founding father of modern backpacking, the first person to write about going out for an extended period and being self-sufficient." Because many people started following Fletcher's advice in The Complete Walker, according to McGivney, "the book could be credited with starting the backpacking industry," including equipment makers and periodicals like Backpacker Magazine.
"After Vietnam, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. So many of my friends had died from bullet holes," recalls Backpacker Magazine contributing editor Buck Tilton. "I read The Man Who Walked Through Time, and it was the only thing that made sense to me. Fletcher's words gave meaning to backpacking. I loaded my pack exactly the way Fletcher did and carried a walking stick like his. He was my hero."
To paraphrase an old saying, "to know the wilderness is to love it." ...and you encouraged people to get up, get out, hike and know the wilderness.
Colin Fletcher was an inspiration to hikers and backpackers everywhere. His book, The Complete Walker, was the backpacker's Bible for decades. In 1963 Colin became the first to walk the length of the Grand Canyon entirely within the rim of the canyon in one go. His book, The Man Who Walked Through Time, chronicles this journey.
Mr. Fletcher was born in Cardiff, Wales, on March 14, 1922, the only child of Herbert and Margaret Williams Fletcher. After high school, he joined the Royal Marines and served during World War II. Captain Colin Fletcher was an instructor at the Commando Mountain Warfare Training Centre at St Ives. During the Normandy Landings on D Day he commanded 'F' Troop Medium Machine Gun Section of 45 Royal Marine Commando, Royal Marines. Post war residing overseas he was a member of the Commando Association (UK) He went to Africa after the war and worked on a farm and as a road builder in Kenya and Rhodesia. Then, in the early 1950s, he went to western Canada to work as a prospector. In 1956, he moved to San Francisco.
Recognizing his influence and legacy, Annette McGivney, editor of Backpacker Magazine, has written that "Colin was sort of the founding father of modern backpacking, the first person to write about going out for an extended period and being self-sufficient." Because many people started following Fletcher's advice in The Complete Walker, according to McGivney, "the book could be credited with starting the backpacking industry," including equipment makers and periodicals like Backpacker Magazine.
"After Vietnam, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. So many of my friends had died from bullet holes," recalls Backpacker Magazine contributing editor Buck Tilton. "I read The Man Who Walked Through Time, and it was the only thing that made sense to me. Fletcher's words gave meaning to backpacking. I loaded my pack exactly the way Fletcher did and carried a walking stick like his. He was my hero."
Colin Fletcher was an inspiration to hikers and backpackers everywhere. His book, The Complete Walker, was the backpacker's Bible for decades. In 1963 Colin became the first to walk the length of the Grand Canyon entirely within the rim of the canyon in one go. His book, The Man Who Walked Through Time, chronicles this journey.
Mr. Fletcher was born in Cardiff, Wales, on March 14, 1922, the only child of Herbert and Margaret Williams Fletcher. After high school, he joined the Royal Marines and served during World War II. Captain Colin Fletcher was an instructor at the Commando Mountain Warfare Training Centre at St Ives. During the Normandy Landings on D Day he commanded 'F' Troop Medium Machine Gun Section of 45 Royal Marine Commando, Royal Marines. Post war residing overseas he was a member of the Commando Association (UK) He went to Africa after the war and worked on a farm and as a road builder in Kenya and Rhodesia. Then, in the early 1950s, he went to western Canada to work as a prospector. In 1956, he moved to San Francisco.
Recognizing his influence and legacy, Annette McGivney, editor of Backpacker Magazine, has written that "Colin was sort of the founding father of modern backpacking, the first person to write about going out for an extended period and being self-sufficient." Because many people started following Fletcher's advice in The Complete Walker, according to McGivney, "the book could be credited with starting the backpacking industry," including equipment makers and periodicals like Backpacker Magazine.
"After Vietnam, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. So many of my friends had died from bullet holes," recalls Backpacker Magazine contributing editor Buck Tilton. "I read The Man Who Walked Through Time, and it was the only thing that made sense to me. Fletcher's words gave meaning to backpacking. I loaded my pack exactly the way Fletcher did and carried a walking stick like his. He was my hero."
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