From Stanford to the Sea
Stanford to the Sea walkers after arriving at San Gregorio Beach
For the past two years, the Center's ritual hike around the Stanford campus, known as "Walking the Farm," has taken on a challenge even greater than circumnavigating the university's famously sprawling lands: crossing the Santa Cruz Mountains to reach the Pacific Ocean on foot.
On Saturday afternoon, May 4, a group of 30-odd trekkers arrived at San Gregorio Beach after hiking roughly 22 miles from the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Some walkers even chose to cool off in the frigid ocean waters, and others dipped a toe in the surf.
Following traditon, the walk was enriched by several presentations along the way following the day's theme: land use in the coastal West. Prof. Chris Field (Carnegie Department of Global Ecology) spoke about the effect of climate change on coastal forests; Prof. David Freyberg (Civil and Environmental Engineering) talked about research on redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains; Prof. Meg Caldwell (Center for Ocean Solutions) spoke about the California Coastal Commission; and Paul Ringgold and Walter Moore of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) spoke about their group's work in land conservation. Portions of these talks are available as video clips.
The 2013 walk was a valedictory for Prof. David M. Kennedy, the outgoing director and co-founder of the Bill Lane Center for the American West. Prof. Kennedy, who will turn over direction of the Center this summer to Prof. Bruce E. Cain, originated the idea of Walking the Farm and its later iteration, Stanford to the Sea, which the Center first attempted in 2012. Last year's hike wound 23 miles through the foothills but stopped a few miles short due to darkness. With a new route plotted by the Center's Program and Research Associate, Madeline Weeks, and partners at POST, the group was able to celebrate on the beach in style. For more photos and video from the trip, please follow the links below.
Slideshow and complete photo collection on Flickr:
Lectures by Chris Field, David Freyberg and Paul Ringgold on video:
