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“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
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“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”
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Recently Read
- Fitzgerald's Fit: Man Leads Work Crew To Wreck Montecito Hot Springs
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- El Saucito Ranch House, Carrizo Plain (1878)
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
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- Koso Shoshone Native American Rock Art, Ghost Dance and Hunting Magic
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Latest Dispatches
- The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
- Lobster Poachers?
- Dick Smith on Forest Access
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Niño
- 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
Lunar Phase
Tag Archives: backcountry
Hiking is Not A Crime, Let Forest Be Thy Medicine
Ranger: Howdy, sir. Sorry, the forest is closed.Hiker: Why?Ranger: Well, there’s been some slides and wash outs and rockfalls and trees fallen over and we heard tell of a big rut. Hiker: Oh. So you mean it’s a forest. You’ve closed … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Forest Service, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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17 Comments
The Plunder and Peddle
“Pocketing potsherds is erasure. It is the worst of colonization, the taking of the land. If you believe the stealing has ended, it has not.” –Craig Childs Why Potsherds Matter On this, the last day of Native American Heritage Month. … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Archaeology, Artifacts, backcountry, Chumash, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Rock Art, Wilderness
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10 Comments
The Great Valley Oak Death Rattle, Fish Creek Camp
‘Tis yet another devastating blow. Like the death of the live oak of Mono Narrows Camp. The immolation by wildfire of the disjunct relictual stand of Ponderosa pine along Dry Lakes Ridge. And so too the palisades of tall timber … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Travel, Wilderness
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2 Comments
Summer of Serpents of Rattlers Beware
California mountain kingsnake on Figueroa Mountain. Not to be confused with a California kingsnake: Killer Kingsnake Eats Water Snake “To combat the boredom, I occasionally drove over the coastal range and into the Santa Ynez Valley to hike the trails … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Lockdowns, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Rattlesnakes, Santa Barbara, Snakes, Wilderness, Wildlife
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7 Comments
Wolves, Grizzlies and the Howling Wilderness of Change, Santa Barbara National Forest: Race and Recognition In the Woods
Sierra Madre Mountains, Cuyama, Santa Barbara County Chief Standing Bear of the Oglala Sioux once stated that his people “did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills and the winding streams with their tangled growth as … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Hispanic, History, Jacinto Damien Reyes, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Race, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Wilderness, Wildlife
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6 Comments
