Europe is renowned for romantic inn to inn pilgrimages, paths worn by centuries of travelers. Adventurers in California are creating a new tradition of multi-day treks from inn-to-inn in the US. The books and guides in the Walkabout series describe walks along the wild Pacific Coast, through the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the Cascades, and through the parklands around the San Francisco Bay, and along the Southern California Coast. Each day ends with a comfortable bed, a glass of wine, a good meal and maybe even a hot tub. Some of the hikes can take a week, but many can be enjoyed in a weekend. Some are challenging, but many are perfect for the casual hiker. At the end of each chapter you will find details of the route and information about places to stay.
Walkabout California is the work of father and daughter team Emily and Tom Courtney. Tom began the project while working with an environmental education organization at the Marin Headlands, a coastal wilderness area just north of San Francisco. While hiking at lunch Tom looked north 40 miles from his hilltop and wondered, could he hike all the way to Pt. Reyes with just his daypack, resting each night at an inn or B&B? From that first Walkabout, the project grew from writing for eager friends and family, to offering digital guides for individual hiking vacations at WalkaboutCalifornia.com. As the digital guides grew in popularity, our local publisher, Wilderness Press, invited us to write a book. Our first book - Walkabout Northern California: Hiking Inn to Inn was released April, 2011. Walkabout Malibu to Mexico: Hiking Inn to Inn on the Southern California Coast was published in 2014. The 2nd edition of Walkabout Northern California: Hiking Inn to Inn was released in early 2019.
About the Author
After college, Tom Courtney moved from Minnesota to California where he discovered the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He has been exploring the California wilderness ever since. Tom has retired from teaching at UC Berkeley and from his financial management consulting practice working with nonprofit organizations. He lives in Oakland with his wife, Heidi. Most weekends you will find them on a walkabout or hiking the parklands of the Bay Area.
Emily is the Walkabout California Business Manager and leads green career education and workforce development planning and programs with her organization, Good Green Work.
So, strap on your hiking boots and load up your daypack. Leave the car behind, and explore some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world. Visit the Walkabout California store to purchase the books or individual trip guides. Take a Walkabout California – hiking from inn to inn.
Comments