Category Archives: Santa Barbara

Forest Service Welcomes Hikers To Falling Trees, Flash Floods and Debris Flows

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Jack Elliott

How much worse do conditions get? (Those are actually fantastic conditions! The worse the better.) And yet in the face of such natural horrors, the likes of which only Danny Hillman might venture risking limb and life to vanquish, they … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Adventure, Forest Closure, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildfires | 17 Comments

Firefighters Save the Old Oak, San Marcos Preserve

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Jack Elliott

“It had stood there for hundreds of years, and he thought it would always stand there. Its roots clutched the hill like a fist with fingers sunk into the soil, and he thought that if a giant were to seize … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Firefighters, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, San Marcos Preserve, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Trees, Wildfires, Wildlife | 1 Comment

Wild Iris Bloom, Santa Ynez Mountains

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Jack Elliott

The wild iris are abloom now in the Santa Ynez Mountains. This particular flush shown may be the best bloom in many years, coming after the Thomas Fire of 2017 cleared the way, and a month after the torrential record-setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, wildflowers | 4 Comments

Claw Marks In the Tiny Tank

Posted on February 11, 2023 by Jack Elliott

I went for a walk to a tiny tank high on the mountain. The rain had fallen for days, for hours non-stop, in amounts not common around this neck of the woods. Records were set. And so we have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife | 4 Comments

Hiking Is Not A Crime; Done Dirty By Diktat

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Jack Elliott

“What does accessibility mean? Is there any spot on earth that men have not proved accessible by the simplest means—feet and legs and heart? … A venturesome minority will always be eager to set off on their own, and no … Continue reading →