Tag Archives: Camping

Eating Fire Roasted Yucca

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

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Deal Canyon, Rancho Nuevo Canyon 17 Mile Day Hike

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

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Camping Out in California: Pine Mountain Narrative (1887)

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

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The Snow Frosted Waterfalls of Rose Valley (+ Video)

I went up to Rose Valley Falls yesterday. It’s a series of two main waterfalls, but only flows with any volume or force during heavy rains or snow melt and immediately there after. Even in those circumstances it’s not a … Continue reading

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Davy Brown’s Cabin (1898)

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

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