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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
- Eating Poison Oak
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- John Haines On Pool Rock
- Wellhouse Falls and the Waterfalls of Lewis Canyon
- Swordfish Cave, Earliest Chumash Rock Art On California's Central Coast
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Manzana Creek Schoolhouse (1893)
- Arrowhead Springs, Drought Resistant Summer Seep
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- The Pine Mountain Punisher: 22 Mile Day Hike
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Latest Dispatches
- 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
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
Lunar Phase
Tag Archives: Backpacking
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
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Tagged Articles, Assassin Bugs, Backpacking, Bugs, Camping, Hiking, Kissing Bugs, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Non-fiction, Parasites
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6 Comments
Ice Cans To Rockets, A New Stove For A New Century
The rocket stove was developed by Dr. Larry Winiarski in the early 1980s. (A detailed explanation and design principles of the rocket stove: PDF) Nearly one hundred years ago an enterprising butcher in southern California fabricated a stove from a … Continue reading →
Posted in Articles
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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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
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Tagged Backpacking, Grass, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Potrero, Santa Barbara
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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
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Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Travel, Wilderness
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9 Comments
Gooseberry Wildcraft
California gooseberry illustration from Pacific Rural Press (1873). “The California wild gooseberry, red variety (Ribes menziesii), is certainly a desirable variety, and is said to be superior to crabapples for jellies, etc. The plant is exceedingly ornamental when loaded with … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Foraging, Gooseberries, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildcrafting
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11 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 