Mabye I'm the only one that didn't know this, but there's a new edition of "The Complete Walker" out.. the fourth, and the first since 1986. <br><br>I still have my first edition, and the second, and the third. The first came out in 1968 and started me, and a lot of other folks, backpacking instead of just camping. Back then it cost $8.50, which was a fair amount of money- as a high school student I couldn't really afford it. I had to split the purchase with a pal and we shared the book.<br><br>Harder still to imagine, back then seeing books on the bookstore shelves was the only way you found out that 99 pecent of them even existed. Things were different before the Internet.<br><br>The second and third editions lost some currency.. gear makers put out product faster than publishers... but were still among the best references on the subject ever written.<br><br>Mr. Fletcher has co-authored this one with C. L. Rawlins, and seems to be passing the torch to another generation.

Colin got whacked by a car as he was out for a walk a while back. [censored] near killed him, but he is getting better. It may have slowed him down enough that he needs a co-author...

I still find myself "rediscovering" the Complete Walker every year or so. Too bad that modern gear got ahead of Colin. Let's hope that the new edition is really the "New Complete Walker" and serves the new generations as Colin did the old.

The August issue of Backpacker magazine has a good story/interview on him. It's titled appropriately enough "Colin Fletcher is not dead".