Dreams, Schemes, and 1,600 Miles Along the California Coast
It all began over nachos and beer.
A group of dreamers gathered at a beachside cantina with an audacious idea: create a 1,600-mile California Coastal Trail stretching from Oregon to Mexico. Then they came up with an even crazier idea. Someone should hike the whole thing. Somehow, that someone became me.
Thirty years ago, I set out to discover whether such a trail was even possible. Could beaches be crossed at low tide? Could coastal bluffs be traveled without being arrested for trespassing? Could a route be found through rugged mountains and around military bases, power plants, and private estates?
What began as a mission soon became something much larger. Along the way I met unforgettable characters, reveled in some of California’s most spectacular scenery, and stumbled headlong into controversies involving coastal access, oil development, bureaucracies run amok, and the competing visions of what California’s future should be.
Join me as I revisit this extraordinary journey and share new discoveries gathered over three decades of walking the edge of California. Together we’ll meet colorful characters, celebrate wild places, laugh at a few absurdities, and explore what this long ribbon of coastline can teach us about California—and ourselves.
As I walked, I transformed from a hiker with something to prove into a traveler with something to learn. Today, I’m still exploring California’s coast and gathering stories from one of the most fascinating—and fragile—places on earth. These are stories I’ve been privileged to gather over a lifetime on the coastal trail, and stories I’d love to share with you.
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