Customer Reviews

Afoot & Afield in San Diego County

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had received this book from a friend before I moved to San Diego three years ago, and started hiking here the weekend I came out for a job interview. Even being completely unfamiliar with San Diego county, I found it easy to choose some great hikes. The descriptions, mileages, and directions to trailheads are all quite useful. Difficulty ratings are accurate - very important when choosing hikes to do with kids, parents, spouses, etc.

The only reservation I have about this book is that it is so comprehensive that a very small number of hikes have slipped in there that I would not consider doing again. One in particular involved hiking along a poison oak covered trail that was littered with broken beer bottles and old tires. I'm almost reluctant to bring up this point since the vast majority of the hikes are truly wonderful.

If you have any interest in getting to know the natural side of San diego County, this book is a must have. From simple, family accessible hikes to challenging overnight treks, the information is accurate and well written. I personally have completed over 50 of the hikes included and have never found any wrong information.

Jerry Schad's style of writing is clear and informative. He is also very accessible, as I have e-mailed him to ask a detailed question about a particular hike.

Believe me, if you want to hike in SD County, this book is your indispensable starting point. support this treasure and buy now!

Absolutely the best guide to San Diego exploration on foot. One of an excellent series of books on San Diego trails. Covers both urban and wilderness hiking. Informative and very clear. Includes hiking distances, times, and level of difficulty. Don't leave home without it :>]

Exhaustively researched, comprehensive, with good descriptions of why you'd want to pick a certain hike, so you'll know what you've got to look forward to.

This may be the only book you'll ever need on the subject, but it's not the only thing to take on a hike: you'll need that most uncommon of things, common sense" -- and that means you'll also need to bring a MAP and water, and the rest of the "Ten Essentials."

Remember, it doesn't replace a USGS or topographic map, let alone good hiking sense. It's "just" a trail guide, albeit the best one the county has had for about 20 years. And frequently and responsibly revised, too. No guidebook, or map, is of much use unless you know how to use it: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, right?

Don't expect too much. With San Diego's exploding population, your enjoyment of trails can alter seasonally with use, let alone by weather. Schad makes every effort to anticipate your tastes when he describes a trail, when it's best to go, what you'll get most out of a hike. You'll learn how to make your hikes match your tastes the more you use this excellent book. And you'll learn to appreciate, up close and personal, the scenery of the climate you moved here for.

San Diego county has great places to explore, and a wide range of habitats: from coastal to montane, to high & low desert. Most of it makes great scenery, but up close it can be intimidating. Schad's book won't let that stop you.

Most trails, even those in state or county parks, are not well marked except at trail heads (about what you should expect when park budgets are so meager these days).

This book and a topographic map are just the things to reawaken a sense of purpose, and to give our desires a sense of direction. And these, in turn, unlock our sense of beauty and wonder.

San Diego deserves nothing less from its inhabitants, and they and it deserve nothing less than such a resourceful book as this.

Lets put it this way. On the San Diego bulletin boards for hiking enthusiasts looking to get together for hikes, they discuss the hikes by referencing page #s from this book. They don't bother naming the book because it is understood that everyone owns a copy. No book achieves that level of acceptance unless it is thorough and useful.
For hiking in San Diego county, this book can't be beat.

Author Jerry Shad has over the years compiled in book form( he also write articles for various publications) the best throughly life experienced hikes for the outdoor enthuisiast. This is the only book you'll need to explore San Diego's trails, both popular and less traveled. His explanations and advice for options on the trails are invaluable and accurate. I have two copies of his book , a vintage edition(still good information) and the current publication, one in the vechicle and one for home reference. Take a look at the index in the sample pages and you'll see that all of the points on the county compass are covered. This is an essential tool for the hiker. The organization of the book is simple , concise and specific covering all areas of the county. The photographs and illustrations are helpful too. As stated by others this is the only book you'll need to explore San Diego on foot. Buy this classic and you'll get years of pleasure from the advice before you hit the trail.

Mr. Schad has spent a lot of time on the trails of San Diego county and it shows in this book. Why not learn from someone else the great trails instead of hit and missing on your own.

This book is great in that it shows you so many areas of San Diego you would have never found without it. I personally have enjoyed the book and used it so much that all the pages are falling out. The only problem my husband and I have found with the book is that we have gotten lost using Jerry's directions many times (ie Black Mountain). His directions to the trails are unclear and very brief. He mentions how to get to a trail and where to go when on the trail, but often he leaves out important information (such as trail intersections) that makes finding your way around very confusing. You might want to buy additional maps when using this book. Also, erosion, time and usage makes trails ever changing, so the book directions get out dated. I hope he comes up with a new edition soon! The fires that happened down here have also changed a lot of the trails.

There is an art to describing hikes in a succinct yet useful manner. Like with movie reviews, you don't want to give everything away, but you want to give the reader enough information to decide if the subject matter interests him enough into going to experience it for himself. Jerry Schad is THE master. It is simply amazing how much information he can pack into so few words. Once you do a few of his hikes, and reread his descriptions, you can quickly learn what exactly he means by certain turns of phrase and the like. This is because while English (or any language) is a poor tool for communicating this type of information, it's all we've got when reading a book. But what Schad does is describe practically every worthy hike in San Diego County in a consistent fashion, so you can apply what you learn he means by a certain description for one hike that he uses for another hike.

San Diego County is an amazingly diverse area of natural wonder. To discover it without Jerry's help would be very difficult. I strongly recommend his book for anyone interested in such a discovery.

However, I do recommend that you take several 1-star hikes before going on to a 2-star, and several 2-stars, before a 3-star, etc., primarily to learn how to read and use the book most effectively. Picking up the book and planning a 5-star hike before going through the rest of the process is NOT recommended.

Have fun!

Jerry Schad has skillful experiences in both his career and interests. This particular book has opened my eyes to a new hobby that I would have never thought of doing on my own. Thank you Jerry for sharing your knowledge and adventures through your book.