Robert Scott Lorentzen

Robert Scott Lorentzen, also known as Bob or Bobby Scott, passed away at home in Fort Bragg, California, on January 15, 2022 of complications from acute myeloid leukemia. He was 72 years old.

Bob is survived by his beloved child Crow Lorentzen, his cherished dog companion, Bowie, and many longtime friends, including a core group from U.C. Santa Cruz, who shared delightful reminiscences with him during his final months.

Bob was an only child, born during the worst blizzard on record, on 01-25-1949 in Salt Lake City, UT, to Carolyn Harman and E. Karl Lorentzen. He graduated from Clearfield High School and moved to Orinda, CA to join his father. He attended U.C. Santa Cruz, where he graduated in 1972 from Crown College with a B.A. in Community Studies.

Following graduation, Bob joined the VISTA program where he served in Visalia, CA. From there, he made his way to Lake County, CA and then, in 1976 was hired to work in Mendocino County’s Nutrition Program in Anderson Valley. He became the program’s director, moving to the Mendocino coast where he was instrumental in founding Fort Bragg’s Food Bank in 1979.

He then went into business as a timber cruiser, spending time among the coastal redwood forests. As an avid hiker and backpacker, when friends noted there wasn’t a good guidebook to hiking on the Mendocino coast, Bob quickly stepped up the to plate and, in 1986, founded Bored Feet Press by publishing “The Hiker’s hip pocket Guide to the Mendocino Coast.” From that tiny seed, Bob authored eight more guidebooks and grew the company into a well-respected publisher and reseller of guidebooks and maps for the west that has endured for 35 years.

Bob continued his activism work and was instrumental in raising awareness of the need for continuous access along the California Coast. In the mid-1990s, with then-Executive Director of Coastwalk/California Coastal Trail Association Richard Nichols, he hiked the length of the California coast, publishing two guidebooks detailing the California Coastal Trail while highlighting areas where access was non-existent. These books were instrumental in leading an initiative for improved signage, trail mapping, and grants for increased access to the California Coastal Trail. He continued organizing and leading Coastwalks for many years in Mendocino County.

Bob had a deep love of and respect for nature, supporting many organizations such as the Sierra Club, Save the Redwoods League, and Natural Resources Defense Counsel. He camped, hiked, and backpacked throughout northern California and the Sierra Nevadas. He was Italian in his soul and was fortunate to travel throughout Italy during three visits from the mid-1980s into the early-1990s. He enjoyed foraging for mushrooms in his neighborhood, loved listening to music and attending concerts, and he was a huge San Francisco Giants fan.

Bob will be greatly missed by his family of friends. To honor his memory, please consider donations to Coastwalk/California Coastal Trail Association or to the Humane Society of the Mendocino Coast. “And as you leave I can see the wild has come for you” —Beloved, Mumford & Sons