089: The Mission Walker with author Edie Littlefield Sundby Part 1

Today's guest is Edie Littlefield Sundby , author of the memoir The Mission Walker , about becoming the first person to walk the full Camino Real of both Californias while living with stage four cancer. In Part 1, Edie recounts being initially denied treatment, finding aggressive care at Stanford, surviving extensive surgeries and chemotherapy, and using walking to purge toxicity and rebuild her body and spirit. She also describes her first mission journey, walking from San Diego to Sonoma in 55 days by following mission bells and a hiker’s guide, as well as the hospitality of Franciscan missions. Chapters: 00:00 California Mission Trail Intro 00:40 Meet Edie Littlefield Sun 02:40 Stage Four Cancer Turning Point 04:54 Walking as Medicine and Pilgrimage 08:13 Mission Bells and First Trail Walk 10:48 Chemo Walks and Healing Mindset 15:56 Follow the Bells Decision 18:14 Planning the 800 Mile Walk 21:18 Trail Logistics and One Lung 24:03 No Shortcuts Long Walk Lessons 27:04 Maps Over GPS Ground Truth 30:03 55 Days Mission to Mission 32:50 Mindfulness Outside the Head 34:56 Santa Susanna Pass Breakthrough 39:29 How the Trail Defines California Send a Comment. Support the show Give a one-time donation Learn more about the California Frontier Project: Website YouTube Instagram Facebook Contact: damian@californiafrontier.net

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089: The Mission Walker with author Edie Littlefield Sundby Part 1 is an episode from California Frontier by Damian Bacich, Ph.D..

This episode is 42:39 long.

This episode was published on Mar 19, 2026.

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