

-
Join 938 other subscribers
-
“He may be just a tramp, a guy that likes to roam about this great country without any special aim, just to thank the Lord for these beautiful mountains.”
-B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

-
“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”

Search Jack’s Blog


Recently Read
- March of the Mustard; The Spread of Noxious Weeds
- Mussel Harvest At Low Tide: Modern Man, Ancient Practice
- Sulfur Mountain Oil Seeps, Ventura County
- The Day Hell Hit Santa Barbara; Third Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth
- Honeysuckle in the Highlands
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- Carrizo Plain Wildflowers: Temblor Range, San Luis Obispo County
- Eating Poison Oak
- Painted Rock Camp, Montgomery Potrero, Sierra Madre Mountains
- Edgar B. Davison’s Cabin (circa 1900)
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
Latest Dispatches
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Nino
- Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
- March of the Mustard; The Spread of Noxious Weeds
- Mark of Conquest II: Benchmark and Mortar
- Save Old Mission Sycamore … __ __ __ …
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
- Initials of J.D. Reyes (1907)
- Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)
- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Fog Drip Morels
- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest: Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
Lunar Phase

Category Archives: Santa Barbara
Coldwater Camp, San Rafael Wilderness
Coldwater Camp lies in a meadow under a large oak tree along Lower Manzana Creek Trail, and is rimmed by hills. A detailed profile of the camp can be seen at Hike Los Padres – Coldwater Camp. The camp was presumably … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Manzana Creek, Nature, San Rafael Wilderness, Santa Barbara, Travel
|
2 Comments
Potentially Deadly Assassin Bug In Los Padres Forest
Various triatomine bugs in all life stages. (Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Recent news reports echoing across the Internet tell of the so-called assassin bug having now been found in at least 28 states. Known also as the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Articles, Assassin Bugs, Backpacking, Bugs, Camping, Hiking, Kissing Bugs, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Non-fiction, Parasites
|
6 Comments
The Allure of Grass
A small, but remarkable potrero in the Los Padres National Forest that is a short distance away from Mollisol Meadow. “But it is upon the grass, mediator of soil and sun, that the human gaze has always tended to settle, … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Backpacking, Grass, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Potrero, Santa Barbara
|
9 Comments
Mollisol Meadow
“Maybe 7% of the landscape across the world is mollisol.” -Dr. John Reganold, Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology, Washington State University “Mollisols (from Latin mollis, ‘soft’) are the soils of grassland ecosystems. They are characterized by a thick, dark … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Travel, Wilderness
|
9 Comments
The Trout
(Author’s note: This story is being republished because of a faulty link in yesterday’s post, which when clicked rendered a “Not Found” memo. Please excuse the double posting if you have already seen this piece. Thank you.) The pool. “Once … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Camping, Fishing, Hiking, longreads, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Photos, Steelhead, Trout, Writing
|
2 Comments













