Tag Archives: Wilderness

Rename Los Padres National Forest? Race and Recognition In the Woods

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Jack Elliott

Should Los Padres National Forest be renamed? In the roiling social wake of the George Floyd killing, and the peaceful protests and the violence and destruction that erupted across these United States and the world, in this moment of national … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Hiking, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Race, Racism, Social Justice, Wilderness | 38 Comments

Honeysuckle in the Highlands

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Jack Elliott

Honeysuckle in the woods of Scotland. “Wherever there is suddenly more light, flowering plants also try their luck, including honeysuckle. Using its tendrils, it makes its way up around the little trunks, always twining in a clockwise direction. By coiling … Continue reading →

Posted in Scotland | Tagged Forests, Hiking, Honeysuckle, Nature, Outdoors, Scotland, Travel, Walking, Wilderness, Wildlife | 7 Comments

Parks Management Company’s Red Rock Racket and the Secret Green Ticket

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Jack Elliott

Kid on a rope. Parks Management Company employees will never tell you that you’re free to drive past their checkpoint at First Crossing, at the end of Paradise Road in Santa Barbara County, and park in unpaved pullouts along River … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, News, Parks Management Company, Red Rock, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez River, Swimming Holes, Wilderness | 6 Comments

Wind Poppy (Papaver heterophyllum)

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Jack Elliott

Rancho Nuevo Canyon, Dick Smith Wilderness (Early May, 2012) “It is possible to be indifferent to flowers—possible but not very likely. Psychiatrists regard a patient’s indifference to flowers as a symptom of depression. It seems that by the time the … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Backpacking, Dick Smith Wilderness, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Rancho Nuevo Canyon, San Rafael Wilderness, Wilderness, wildflowers, Wind Poppy | 1 Comment

Long Lost Trail Discovered, Hiking In A Time Of Lockdown And Distancing

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Jack Elliott

Jack-in-a-crack doing what he does. Wandering. Searching. Hunting. Looking. Seeing. Sometimes discovering. Looking to get my hike on, and so surveying various trailheads through my car window during the COVID-19 governor’s lockdown order, I saw more cars parked than expected, … Continue reading →