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California FrontierAuthor: Damian Bacich, Ph.D.
Prof. Damian Bacich shares the history you didn't learn in school. Each episode is a deep dive into the fascinating early history of California and the West. Listen to stories and interviews with scholars, experts, and people who are passionate about a time when California was the frontier of empire and imagination. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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090: The Mission Walker Part 2 with author Edie Littlefield Sundby
Episode 4
Thursday, 26 March, 2026
In the second half of this interview with Edie Littlefield Sundby (The Mission Walker), she explains why she extended the California Mission Trail beyond San Diego and retraced the original mission route from Loreto, Baja California, to the U.S. border in 2015, after her cancer returned and she was treated with radiation. Guided by Harry Crosby’s maps and aided by (previous guest) Trudi Angell and local vaqueros, she walked nearly 1,000 GPS miles through roadless desert sierras with pack mules, scarce water, and minimal supplies, encountering both extraordinary hospitality on remote ranchos and increasing danger from narcos and drug routes in northern Baja. Edie contrasts the wild Jesuit trail with the more accessible Franciscan route in California, reflects on gratitude, trust, and spiritual pilgrimage, discusses the missions’ enduring “spirit” even in ruins, and closes with thoughts on history’s complexity and the California Mission Trail as a pilgrimage people can complete in segments.Purchase The Mission WalkerChapters00:00 Why Baja Matters01:21 Transcendence Then Relapse03:28 Discovering Loreto Origins05:20 Planning With Trudy06:41 Keeping It Quiet07:59 Jesuit Trail Realities09:54 Launching From Loreto10:25 Vaqueros And Survival13:23 Rancho Hospitality Story16:11 Living History On Ranchos18:07 Timing The Desert Walk19:23 Loreto Mission And Spirit21:07 Jesuit Trail Highlights23:04 Narcos on the Trail24:23 Vaquero Protection26:31 Respect and Trust28:08 Desert Hunger Lessons29:11 Water Survival System30:16 Cactus and Gear32:14 Shrines and Gratitude33:19 Finishing the Journey36:33 Drug Roads Reality37:59 History Beyond Myths40:31 Trust Over Fear41:44 California Camino Dream42:44 Walking in Segments43:52 Next Big Adventures44:55 Books and Farewell46:57 Support the ShowSend a Comment.Support the showGive a one-time donationLearn more about the California Frontier Project:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramFacebookContact:damian@californiafrontier.net
