Tag Archives: Backpacking

Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Jack Elliott

Yellow lupine on Pine Mountain, Los Padres National Forest, Ventura County (May 2025) I came across the first quote below back in 2019 when reading M. Kat Anderson’s extraordinary book, Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Artifacts, Backpacking, Chumash, Chumash Wilderness, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Nature, Silviculture, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Wilderness | 2 Comments

Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Jack Elliott

“As a result of his 1903 visit to California, Roosevelt was to create the Santa Barbara National Forest out of the Pine Mountain and Zaca Lake Forest Reserves. This was the land that McKinley had set aside on March 2, … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Grizzly, Grizzly Bears, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Natural History, Nature, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, Wildlife | 4 Comments

Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Jack Elliott

United States Coast & Geodetic Survey benchmark (1872) on a Chumash mortar stone, Santa Barbara County. “The reverence attached to the artifacts of history is a thing men feel. One could even say that what endows any thing with significance … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Artifacts, Backpacking, Chumash, History, Indian Wars, Indians, Legacy of Conquest, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains | 1 Comment

Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Jack Elliott

Pope Francis died this morning, Easter Monday. An incredible date for such a man to pass on. The extraordinary event called to mind the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the second and third presidents of the United States, … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness | Leave a comment

The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Jack Elliott

Wild tobacco growing in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Santa Barbara County. (Fall 2024) If we define intelligence as an ability to perceive, understand and respond effectively to environmental stimuli, then we might attribute to plants what is normally considered … Continue reading →