

-
Join 946 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
- Ticks, Lizards and Lyme Disease
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
- Slippery Rock Stagecoach Road (19th Century)
- Widow's Tears Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Contact
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Montecito Peak, Santa Ynez Mountains
- The Pine Mountain Punisher: 22 Mile Day Hike
- Parks Management Company's Red Rock Racket Continues
- Stealing Condor Eggs (1899)
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
Latest Dispatches
- 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)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
- Barefoot Prints In Volcanic Ash, Hawaii (1790)
- Skinny-Dipper Detained, Cuffed and Cited at Montecito Hot Springs
- Red Horny Toad
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Foraging
Fog Drip Morels
Sans soil. Every day, for weeks now, a marine layer swamps the coast so far this spring, cool and sometimes spritzing. I wake to the rhythmic tap of fog drip falling through the rain gutters. May 5 morels. Measurable precipitation … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Camping, Fieldcraft, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Foods, Wildlife
|
Leave a comment
Santa Barbara County Morels
Morel growing under a coast live oak tree with California poppies. (April 2025) Related Post: March is For Morels
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Foraging, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Morels, Mushrooms, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
|
3 Comments
Wild Strawberries, Santa Ynez Mountains
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest, the wild mountain strawberries ripened. Strawberries and poison oak. Santa Barbara strawberries. The sweet depth of flavor is among the richest, if only but a bit.
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Foraging, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Public Lands, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Foods, Wild Strawberries, Wilderness
|
Leave a comment
Lion’s Mane, the Smart Mushroom
“H. erinaceus can be considered as useful therapeutic agents in the management and/or treatment of neurodegeneration diseases.” A comprehensive review of the therapeutic effects of Hericium erinaceus in neurodegenerative disease (2014) “Hericium erinaceus, an edible and medicinal mushroom, displays various … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Backpacking, Foraging, Hiking, Lion's Mane, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Nature, Public Lands, Santa Barbara, Wild Foods, Wilderness
|
3 Comments
March is For Morels
March 2020. “Some of the false morels are dangerously poisonous,” Aurora warns. Morels may be the most elusive mushrooms in Santa Barbara County. “Morels can be extremely difficult to see,” David Aurora writes in All That The Rain Promises And … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Morels, Mushrooms, Nature, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
|
2 Comments













