Tag Archives: Backpacking

Lone Wandering

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Jack Elliott

Santa Barbara County Backcountry “Two or more people disturb the ecologic complex of an area. I had to go alone and I had to be self-contained, a kind of casual turtle carrying his house on his back.” —John Steinbeck Travels … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), John Steinbeck, Landscapes, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Photos, Pics, Wilderness | 5 Comments

Eating Fire Roasted Yucca

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Jack Elliott

A yucca flower spike in full bloom. “There is a great deal of century plant of the species which the Mexicans call mescali. The mode of using it is as follows: they make a hole in the ground, fill it … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Chumash, Foraging, Hiking, History, Indians, Native Americans, Nature, Spanish Explorers, Traditional Knowledge, wildflowers, Yucca | 4 Comments

Deal Canyon, Rancho Nuevo Canyon 17 Mile Day Hike

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jack Elliott

The trail we hiked through California’s Dick Smith Wilderness. David Stillman and I recently hiked the Deal Canyon/Rancho Nuevo Canyon trails. Five years after the Zaca Fire destroyed most of the forest, with sooty deadfall logs lying about and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County, Ventura County | Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Chumash, Dick Smith Wilderness, Hiking, Hiking (2), Indians, iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Nature, Outdoors, Photos, Pics, Pictographs, Rock Art | 14 Comments

Camping Out in California: Pine Mountain Narrative (1887)

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Jack Elliott

A man by the name of John R. G. Hassard wrote the following narrative of his “camping expedition of sixty-eight days” in the Ventura County backcountry of California. As an aside, Ventura County was created on January 1, 1873 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Ventura County | Tagged Adventure, Adventure (2), Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Nature, Non-fiction, Outdoors, Photo, Photographs, Pics, Pine Mountain, Writing | 8 Comments

Davy Brown’s Cabin (1898)

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Jack Elliott

I recently unearthed this drawing of Davy Brown’s cabin in an edition of The Herald newspaper that was published on September 25, 1898. Santa Barbara backcountry enthusiasts know Davy Brown as the name of a drive-up campground on the backside … Continue reading →