It is said that Jack London, renowned writer, adventurer, activist, and Oakland native, wasted not a single day trying to prolong his life. Indeed, he died of a morphine overdose (provoked by uremia) at the ripe age of 40. Young, yes, but London left an indelible mark, leading a life as rich and wild as the stories he wrote, from the goldfields of the Klondike to prison cells in the Russo-Japanese War. Discover Your Call of the Wild — an eight-mile hike that winds across lands encompassed by the 1000-acre mountaintop ranch where London passed — is the first, and most potent, event in a year-long centennial marking the occasion. Future events throughout the Bay Area include a historic photo exhibition; lectures at the Oakland Library where London received instruction; a “Great Read” of White Fang; and the premier of Jack London: 20th Century Man, a feature-length documentary produced for PBS by Oakland-based filmmakers Chris and Holly Million. This trek is also part of a 50-state collaboration of First Day Hikes, and includes views of Wolf House, the ruins of London’s 26-room mansion.
Discover Your Call of the Wild leaves at 10 a.m. from Beauty Ranch parking lot in Jack London State Historic Park, 2400 London Ranch Rd, Glen Ellen. $10; 707-938-5216 or
jacklondonpark.com.
707-938-5216
