WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2013

Take a hike, I've been told many
times in my career. So, heading
into my bucket-list years,
I decided to take up the advice
so many have freely rendered.
Not just any hike. No walk up San Diego County’s Cowles
Mountain, not an exploration of the Pacific Crest Trail or up
and down our lovely coastline.
I wanted something that combined a rich history, a bit of urban grittiness, beautiful
scenery and bracing, unpredictable weather.
Throw in a string of fabulous museums, active archeological sites, stubborn cattle
and sheep and a heavy ration of mud. And, just when things got tough, kick in a
warm pub with a roaring fireplace.
So, here I am, back in San Diego, after having walked last October much of the
Hadrian's Wall Path in northern England, an 84-mile east-west route connecting
Newcastle on the North Sea with Bowness-on-Solway on the Solway Firth to
the west. The path follows the line of Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Romans as a
defensive fortification in A.D. 122. To prove my claim, I returned with a “passport”
stamped at way stations along the route.
For my hiking companion, I was picky. I chose friend Tom Olson of La Jolla, a
precise Ph.D. engineer, who has numerous major-league hiking excursions – several
in Europe – under his belt, including the famous Pilgrims Trail from southern
France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Together we polished off 49.2 miles of the 84-mile path, which was a feat since
the previous week the area had been inundated with the worst rains and flooding
Above: Hiker Tom Olson prepares to eat
a hearty dinner at a welcoming pub. Left:
Near Steel Rigg, photographer Olson
quashed any notion that this was an easy
hike. Below: The author surveys what is
left of one of the milecastles, or gates, in
the wall.
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