Central Coast author highlights local hiking destinations in new book 

As a local educator, Jill Thayer teaches many of her college courses online, which allows her the flexibility to work after sunset and dedicate some daylight hours to a sacred, daily hobby.

"Normally I'm a night person. In the evening, I work, I'm a professor," said Thayer, a Cambria resident who teaches art history classes for a handful of schools, including Allan Hancock College.

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• Courtesy Photos By Jill Thayer
• COME TRAIL AWAY WITH ME Allan Hancock College professor Jill Thayer's new book, Sojourns: 100 Trails of Enlightenment Inspired by the California Central Coast, highlights dozens of trails scattered across the West Coast, including the Garrapata Trail in Monterey County.

Each morning, Thayer approaches the upcoming day with a wanderlust-driven mindset, she explained.

"I will have this feeling when I wake up, usually when I'm getting ready to have breakfast, of where I want to be. Do I want to be by the ocean? Do I want to be in a forest? Do I want to be in a meadow?" Thayer said she will often ask herself. "Then in my mind, I go through the scenario of all of the trails that I've been on in the last few years."

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• Courtesy Photos By Jill Thayer
• DAILY TREAD Part of Cambria resident Jill Thayer's usual daily routine is taking an hour or two during the morning or afternoon to walk or hike somewhere outdoors.

Revisiting these trails or discovering new paths to walk or hike along is part of Thayer's daily ritual. Rather than think of the hobby as a strict exercise routine, Thayer approaches each day's journey as a grand, reinvigorating adventure.

At one point, over the course of exploring dozens of coastal trails spread out across the coast of California, Thayer decided to document her various treks in a new book—Sojourns: 100 Trails of Enlightenment Inspired by the California Central Coast, which was released in April.

"It took about two years to write it. It was a very long, arduous process," said Thayer, whose first book signing since its release is scheduled for June 17 at Terracotta Home and Garden in Cambria. "I've been able to drive up and down the coast and go into retailers and local merchants and see if they want to carry it."

The book is currently available at the Los Olivos General Store, the Hearst Castle gift shop, Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay, Ron's Nursery in Arroyo Grande, and several other local outlets, as well as online through Amazon and similar sellers.

Thayer described the book as an examination of her favorite hiking destinations—which include the Oceano Dunes, Big Sur, and other scenic sources of serenity—with resources on each site and personal, narrative-driven musings on what makes these areas the author's personal go-tos for "balance, reflection, and bit of exercise."

The book is also full of Thayer's own photos, which she was able to capture with her phone during each walk or hike.

"All of my photographs were taken with my iPhone. Luckily I didn't have to haul my Nikon anywhere," Thayer said with a laugh.

The final component of each journal-esque, destination-centric entry in Thayer's book is a quote from a notable figure she chose to accompany each trail.

"The quotes, I feel, bring context to the imagery," said Thayer, who chose to include quotes from Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Soren Kierkegaard, and E.B. White, among several other iconic voices.

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• Courtesy Photos By Jill Thayer
• ENLIGHTENING EXPLORATIONS The Boucher Trail in San Simeon is one of several scenic destinations featured in local author Jill Thayer's new book, Sojourns: 100 Trails of Enlightenment Inspired by the California Central Coast.

In one excerpt from her book, Thayer wrote that "throughout my life and transdisciplinary career, I gained inspiration from the words of artists, naturalists, theorists, and writers, many of whom are featured in these pages."

"The process of compiling the photographs, quotations, and narrative was cathartic, introspective, and fulfilling," Thayer explained in her book, which also includes a thoughtful forward written by Kaila Dettman, executive director of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.

Thayer said she hopes the book will help promote advocacy for land conservation and environmental sustainability and inspire others to explore for themselves the trails she included.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be able to share the beauty of our region," Thayer said. Δ

Catch Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood sledding down the Oceano Dunes, or send comments to [email protected].