-
Join 932 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
- Eating Poison Oak
- Western Fence Lizard (blue-belly)
- Potrero Canyon, Hurricane Deck, Manzana Creek 20 Mile Day Hike
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Carrizo Plain Wildflowers: Temblor Range, San Luis Obispo County
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- The Day Hell Hit Santa Barbara; Third Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth
- Dinosaur Footprints, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Otter Point, Gaviota Coast
- The Case For Renaming Los Padres National Forest
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
Latest Dispatches
- Otter Point, Gaviota Coast
- Ridgetop Tank, Santa Ynez Mountains
- California Name Origins: Joseph Wood Krutch, The Forgotten Peninsula (1961)
- The Extraordinary Rains of August 2023
- Howling Coyote, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Repatriation of Native American Remains and Artifacts
- The Mysterious Three Stone Stack
- A Sea of Debris and Plastic Microtrash
- The Twelve-Inch Experience, Baron Ranch Corridor
- Figueroa Mountain Bug Bloom
- Discreet Sensitive Habitat Signage, Sespe Wilderness
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Spring Potrero Mutilated, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Big Bummer At Baron Ranch: Trashing the Place To Save It
- Renaming Los Padres: Names Of the 1930s
Archives
- May 2024 (2)
- April 2024 (2)
- January 2024 (3)
- December 2023 (4)
- October 2023 (1)
- September 2023 (1)
- August 2023 (1)
- June 2023 (2)
- May 2023 (2)
- March 2023 (2)
- February 2023 (11)
- January 2023 (2)
- November 2022 (4)
- June 2022 (1)
- May 2022 (1)
- February 2021 (1)
- January 2021 (4)
- September 2020 (3)
- August 2020 (1)
- July 2020 (3)
- June 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (7)
- March 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (1)
- December 2019 (1)
- November 2019 (2)
- August 2019 (1)
- July 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (6)
- May 2019 (1)
- April 2019 (2)
- March 2019 (3)
- February 2019 (2)
- January 2019 (1)
- December 2018 (1)
- November 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (1)
- January 2018 (1)
- December 2017 (1)
- November 2017 (1)
- September 2017 (1)
- August 2017 (1)
- July 2017 (2)
- May 2017 (1)
- March 2017 (4)
- February 2017 (1)
- January 2017 (1)
- December 2016 (2)
- October 2016 (3)
- August 2016 (2)
- July 2016 (3)
- May 2016 (2)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (1)
- February 2016 (1)
- January 2016 (3)
- December 2015 (2)
- November 2015 (4)
- October 2015 (1)
- September 2015 (1)
- August 2015 (1)
- July 2015 (1)
- June 2015 (4)
- April 2015 (1)
- March 2015 (2)
- February 2015 (3)
- January 2015 (1)
- December 2014 (4)
- October 2014 (1)
- September 2014 (2)
- August 2014 (7)
- July 2014 (4)
- June 2014 (1)
- May 2014 (1)
- April 2014 (10)
- March 2014 (2)
- February 2014 (2)
- January 2014 (6)
- December 2013 (6)
- November 2013 (3)
- October 2013 (4)
- September 2013 (3)
- August 2013 (6)
- July 2013 (7)
- June 2013 (4)
- May 2013 (2)
- April 2013 (6)
- March 2013 (8)
- February 2013 (7)
- January 2013 (7)
- December 2012 (7)
- November 2012 (6)
- October 2012 (6)
- September 2012 (6)
- August 2012 (12)
- July 2012 (11)
- June 2012 (9)
- May 2012 (9)
- April 2012 (9)
- March 2012 (14)
- February 2012 (20)
- January 2012 (15)
- December 2011 (11)
- November 2011 (9)
- October 2011 (12)
- September 2011 (18)
- August 2011 (18)
- July 2011 (16)
- June 2011 (11)
- May 2011 (10)
- April 2011 (7)
- March 2011 (12)
- February 2011 (6)
- January 2011 (9)
- December 2010 (3)
- November 2010 (8)
- October 2010 (23)
- March 2010 (1)
- April 2009 (1)
Browse By Topic
Waterfalls
Caves and Rocks
Sunsets, Sunrise and Moons
Fishing
Surfing
History
Jack's Photos
Lunar Phase
Current Temperature
Current Weather Radar
Coastal Forecast
Tag Archives: Camping
The Extraordinary Rains of August 2023
The organic curves of chaparral-cloaked Condor National Forest. I’m growing like a seedRain’s been falling on me — KT Tunstall, Feel It All “I’m wondering if we won’t see August thunderstorms.” I wrote that in June, a freak premonition. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Sespe Wilderness, Wilderness, wildflowers, Wildlife
|
3 Comments
Renaming Los Padres: Names Of the 1930s
Detail showing Abel Mtn. on a 1938 map of Los Padres National Forest. Backstory I’ve long had an interest in place, in the particularity of natural settings and the composition of undeveloped scenes, and in the forest placenames chosen by … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Chumash, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
|
7 Comments
Brian Sarvis In Noozhawk Echoes Jack Elliott, No Hat Tip
Jimmy J merch. Prototype run, January, 2023. After six years of silence, Sarvis suddenly spoke. He once more found his voice, in somebody else’s writing. We made it easy by providing inspiration and all source material right here on this … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Backpacking, Brian Sarvis, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Noozhwak, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
|
1 Comment
The Elusive and Fleeting Fire Poppy
I found the fire poppies once more, trailless along a tributary fork of a coastal creek high in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Five years had past since my last sighting. I think the fire poppy, Papaver californicum, may be among … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, poppies, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, wildflowers
|
2 Comments
Hiking Is Not A Crime; Done Dirty By Diktat
“What does accessibility mean? Is there any spot on earth that men have not proved accessible by the simplest means—feet and legs and heart? … A venturesome minority will always be eager to set off on their own, and no … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Forest Closure, Forest Service, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
|
8 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 