Peg Reiter and the Legacy of Jerry Schad
A special conversation with Peg Reiter, Jerry Schad’s widow, about their hikes, explorations, and all too brief time together, along with Peg’s involvement with Jerry’s final book, 50 Best Short Hikes San Diego. Peg Reiter came to play an instrumental role in the completion of the book, and after consulting with the team at Wilderness Press, Treehuggers International producer and host Tommy Hough felt the best way to feature the book and Jerry’s lasting legacy, was to welcome Peg onto the program.
Losing A Friend: Jerry Schad, 1949 – 2011
A hiker, outdoorsman, astronomer and lifelong Californian, Jerry Schad was the author of 16 books, including Afoot and Afield In San Diego, considered the definitive publication of San Diego County hikes and trails. He was also the author of Orange and Los Angeles county editions of Afoot and Afield, a regional “best of,” and books on bicycling and trail running. Jerry also authored the Roam-A-Rama column in the San Diego Reader, which ran for 18 years until he brought it to a close earlier this year.
Jerry Schad’s Afoot and Afield Legacy
Before long, I was driving up fire roads on the Los Coyotes reservation near Warner Springs to the forests at the base of Hot Springs Mountain, only to be sideswiped by a view of the Salton Sea I will never forget, appearing like a giant mirage through the trees. I visited the oak groves of Oakoasis in Lakeside and was pleased to find such heavy tree wisdom so close to civilization, cared for as a county park. I walked along the headwaters of the wild Santa Margarita River on the backside of Camp Pendleton, and was calmed by its stillness and quiet.
Afoot and Afield With Jerry Schad
Podcast: Download (Duration: 28:40 — 26.2MB)
From Torrey Pines to Palomar Mountain to Anza-Borrego, Mesa College astronomy professor and Afoot and Afield author Jerry Schad is and the undisputed trails expert for San Diego County, along with much of Southern California.
In this special edition of Treehuggers International, Jerry talks about how Afoot and Afield In San Diego came together, in part built out of his earlier trail running and bicycling books, and the effects of the 2003 and 2007 fires on San Diego’s prime hiking destinations.
Jerry also touches on urban-wildland interface zones, the Ten Essentials, his Afoot and Afield entries for Orange and Los Angeles counties, new trail additions in the latest edition of Afoot and Afield In San Diego, and of course, where to camp in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to catch the best show of stars and celestial wonders.
Lace up your boots for a conversation with San Diego’s long-time outdoors encyclopedia, enthusiast and advocate, Jerry Schad.
Above the Los Peñasquitos wetlands at Torrey Pines State Reserve
More about this post at:
- Skyphoto, Jerry Schad’s astronomical photographs
- Wilderness Press Bio
- San Diego Reader Staff Page
- Roam-A-Rama
- KPBS Videos Page
- Afoot and Afield Author Talks About Hiking Areas After Wildfires (San Diego.com; 1/28/08)
