Back when I was one of the cool kids, a group of us would meet after Tuesday track practices for dinner, usually pizza at Luigi’s in Golden Hill or Thai at Saffron off Washington Street. One of the guys was always planning a big hike with the goal of covering every bit of ground in a book he'd bought several years before. He mentioned that if I wanted to be a trail runner, then I had to own this book too because there was nothing else like it. He promised it would make me want to get into the wildnerness more often, and he was right.
So I got a copy of that book and another with selections aimed at trail runners, both by a guy named Jerry Schad. To this day, they are the most opened and earmarked of all the books on my shelves. A community college professor by day, Schad wrote extensively of the most popular and the little known trails surrounding just about every open space in the county and beyond.
Then today I found this article in our local paper about the author fighting cancer. It doesn’t look good. So I wanted to take a minute to (a) recommend his book to any active San Diegan who doesn’t already own it and (b) thank him for the countless hikes and memories made possible because of his books and the inspiration they provide.
6 comments:
That was quite a moving article. Thanks for sharing it Anne.
My daughter took Jerry's Field Astronomy class at Mesa College, and she she dragged me out to one of the viewing nights at Tierra Del Sol, where I got to meet him. He was just as passionate and knowledgeable about the night sky as he was about his hikes. So sad to read that story.
I am so sad. That book is also the most dogeared and used on my bookshelf. Happy thoughts to Jerry and his wife.
I was caught up short when I saw the article in the U-T. "Afoot and Afield..." was one of the first books I purchased when I moved to San Diego 8 years ago. I hope Jerry Schad knows how much joy he's brought to people. Thanks for spreading the word, Anne.
Anne, I saw the article too this week and my heart sank. I have the book dog-earred also. Dave and I also mark the book with the dates we take the hikes. We have 100s left. Thanks for sharing this. Truly a special man.
So sad to hear! His "Afoot and Afield" series are right up there with the John Robinson books when it comes to hiking and exploring L.A., Orange, San Diego and SB/Riverside counties.
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