Tom Stienstra  Tom Stienstra is an American author, outdoorsman and columnist for the "San Francisco Chronicle". He has written several guide books for California, the Pacific Northwest and America. He produces a radio feature for KCBS-74/San FranciscoHe hosted and co-produced a television special for PBS. He has also won national awards. Stienstra was raised and educated in Palo Alto, California, and graduated from Palo Alto High School. He received his degree in journalism from San Jose State University. Later he began to work as a sports reporter for the "Palo Alto Times." In 1979, when "Palo Alto Times" merged with the "Redwood City Tribune" and became the "Peninsula Times Tribune", Stienstra was promoted to sports columnist. At age 21, he survived a hatchet attack, after which he gained insights into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and gaining fulfillment through the outdoor experience. Stienstra published his first story at age 8, "Searching for a Lost Friend," in the "Palo Alto Times". He was hired to write about the outdoors for the "San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle" in 1980, which he has continued into 2018. Since 2000, he has produced and broadcast a radio feature for "KCBS-74/San Francisco," the No. 1 station in Northern California, and appears frequently as a live guest expert. He hosted the TV show, The Great Outdoors for "CBS-CW" networks and then, in 2017, co-produced and hosted a national "PBS" special, The Mighty T -- The Tuolumne River, from Glacier to Golden Gate. In 2017, he hosted and co-produced, with Jim Schlosser the national television film, "The Mighty T, The Tuolumne River from Glacier to Golden Gate," for "KVIE-Sacramento/PBS", which released the film to 352 outlets in the PBS network. Stienstra has written many books. Among them is "Moon California Camping", released its 20th edition in April 2017, the best-selling and longest running outdoor guidebook series in America  and "Moon Pacific Northwest Camping," listed in the Portland Oregonian as a No. 1 bestseller. His novel is "The Sweet Redemption, An Inspector Korg Mystery." Stienstra writes, records and produces the radio feature, "Great Outdoors," which appears on KCBS-San Francisco. In 2018, the Outdoor Writers Association of America awarded Stienstra 1st Place, Outdoor Recreation Photo of the Year. https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/Stienstra-photo-named-best-in-the-nation-by-12981739.php In 2017, the National Academy of Television awarded the Emmy for Health, Science and Environment Special to Stienstra and co-producer Jim Schlosser for their PBS Special, "The Mighty T -- the Tuolumne River."The PBS Special also won the President's Award from the Outdoor Writers Association of America as the best outdoors television show of any kind for the year in America.At the OWAA annual conference, Stienstra was the organization's only member recognized for first-place awards in newspaper, radio and television.