Andreas M Cohrs, born and educated in Karlsruhe, Germany, known as the gate to the Black Forest, I soon felt the gravity of nature when my parents traveled with me to the Alps and Southern Europe. At the age of fifteen, I began discovering the Americas, and during my professional career as a manager in music business, I combined the amenities of the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles, with adventurous outdoor trips into the wilderness. Eventually, the trans-California walk became the corollary for more than twenty years of visiting the state. On my travels, I enjoy most following the paths of our forefathers. While orientating myself on my senses and geographical realities, I try to comprehend what it must have meant to those who paved today’s historical trails.
The Thousand-Mile Summer walk, the experiences made en route and the reflections I wrote about, stand for my credo about the importance of learning about our environment that includes both our natural and our human history – and oneself in interacting with it. California Serendipity became a journal well suited for demonstrating what our senses are for, including our sense of wonder, or awe.