Author Archives: Jack Elliott

Indian Wells Canyon, Southern Sierra

A view of the ridgeline running down from Owens Peak, which was named by Major General John C. Fremont after Richard Owens, a captain who served in his California Battalion during the Mexican-American War. During the war Fremont captured the … Continue reading

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Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Shanty (1906-1930s)

The entrance into the Burro Schmidt Tunnel. “What is it, what nameless, inscrutable, unearthly thing is it; what cozening, hidden lord and master, and cruel, remorseless emperor commands me; that against all natural lovings and longings, I so keep pushing, … Continue reading

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Steelhead Fishing, Santa Ynez River (1948)

A tributary of the Santa Ynez River which once was the spawning grounds of thirty-inch steelhead. Seventy years ago the Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County was known in California as “the most productive of all the little steelhead … Continue reading

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Fossil Falls, A Glacial Relic of the Pleistocene

David Stillman scrambling up familiar territory, through the gullet of Fossil Falls and over the slick, water polished basalt. Standing in the arid Owens Valley of California, beside an ancient dry riverbed that can barely be discerned amid cragged lava … Continue reading

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Sespe Hot Springs From Piedra Blanca

Fossilized oak leaf found along the Sespe Trail. Note the veins and serrated edges. A Late, Hot Start I didn’t start walking from Piedra Blanca Trailhead until a few ticks before ten in the morning, at least four hours later … Continue reading

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