Hiking writer Jerry Schad dies
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 11:25 pm
He died from the same kind of cancer that killed our roommate (renal cancer):
Hiking writer Jerry Schad dies
Written by Steve Schmidt
6:55 a.m., Sept. 22, 2011, Updated 1:39 p.m.
Jerry Schad, the seasoned hiker who trailblazed San Diego County and fostered a broader appreciation of the outdoors through his popular books and photographs, died early Thursday.
He was 61.
He was diagnosed in March with final-stage kidney cancer and spent his last months in the care of his wife, Peg Reiter, in their downtown San Diego condominium. They got married shortly after the diagnosis.
“I am beyond heartbroken,” she wrote in an email following his death.
Mr. Schad, a former East County resident, was the author of 16 books, including “Afoot & Afield in San Diego County,” widely considered the bible of local hiking. He also wrote an outdoors column for the San Diego Reader.
Twenty-five years after its initial publication, “Afoot” remains a favorite among both day-trippers and serious hikers for its exhaustive walk-throughs of hundreds of trails, from the beaches to the backcountry.
Until this year, Mr. Schad’s energy and the dogged pace of his exploration — on foot or on bicycle — appeared boundless.
He once bicycled 352 miles in one day and completed a 100-mile endurance run across the Sierra Nevada on another. Many weeks, he would hike at least 30 miles.
“I was just enthralled with the greater world out there,” he said in a recent interview, after he had become bedridden.
He had made peace with the idea of dying and likened it to riding down a river in a kayak without a paddle. “And there’s absolutely no way to claw myself back,” he said.
He even penned his own obituary, here.
A profile of Mr. Schad and his wife, published in The San Diego Union-Tribune last month, generated a huge response from readers. Many praised him for inspiring their own explorations.
Reiter, in tribute to her late husband, went on a hike near the beach on Thursday afternoon.
Gerald L. Schad was born and raised in San Jose and graduated from UC Berkeley. He moved to the San Diego area in 1972 and earned a master’s degree in astronomy from San Diego State University.
He taught community college classes for 36 years in astronomy, physics and related subjects and had been, until recently, chairman of the physical sciences department at San Diego Mesa College.
He is survived by his wife, his son, Tom Schad of El Cajon, his mother, Marion Schad of Morgan Hill, and three sisters: Leslee Schad of Pennsylvania, Laurie Schad of Massachusetts and Marita Roth of Morgan Hill.
A memorial celebration will be held Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. at the El Cortez Hotel, 702 Ash St.
The family said donations in Mr. Schad’s name may be made to Friends of Balboa Park, 2125 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92101. The funds will be used to maintain park trails and on related efforts. The family requests that no flowers be sent.