In the late 1950s, after joining the Royal Marines, serving during World War II, and building roads in Kenya, Welsh-born Colin Fletcher moved to San Francisco. He began hiking in the hills, and two years later, when faced with the decision of whether or not to marry the woman he had been living with, decided to walk the length of California and do some thinking. Fletcher came back, married the girl, and wrote an account of his journey called The Thousand-Mile Summer.The marriage, unfortunately, lasted less than a year, and in 1963, to mend his broken heart, Fletcher decided to walk the length of the Grand Canyon. In 1968, Fletcher published a book about the adventure, The Man Who Walked Through Time, and The Complete Walker, a backpacking guide that has now sold over 500,000 copies. Because of both books, many consider Fletcher to be the father of modern backpacking. Sadly, Fletcher died in 2007 from complications of head injuries he sustained when he was hit by an SUV near his California home in 2001.If you haven't already, pick up a copy of The Man Who Walked Through Time. It's a quick and inspiring book that will certainly help fuel the I-CAN-NOT-WAIT-FOR-SPRING-fire.