The following provide some insight into the hardships faced by the group. It's downhill all the way. And the snow was coming down As we stepped out at break of dawn And strode toward Paw Paw Town. The duffers climbed aboard the truck With many a groan and sigh, But something faster passed them up The Judge was whizzing by. As the hike progressed, one man's effort to save a piece of wilderness became a big news story.
Wire services spread word of the hike to thousands of newspapers across the country.
Time magazine ran a story. Movie theaters showed a newsreel of the hike. Reporters conducted interviews with Justice Douglas as he walked. Photographers captured the hike on film. People came out to hike with the justice.