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Yosemite Falls
Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls, March 2015. “One of Yosemite’s oldest historic trails (built 1873 to 1877), the Yosemite Falls Trail leads to the top of North America’s tallest waterfall, which rises...
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Wildcrafted Salad
Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliatum) growing in profusion along a shady bank of Alder Creek in the Santa Ynez Mountains of Santa Barbara County. Skills Are Weightless “You have to travel light. . ....
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The Politics of Rock Art
Santa Barbara County vintage making use of Chumash pictograph motifs. When one takes an interest in actively seeking out and visiting Chumash rock art paintings they soon learn that there is an...
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The Los Padres Box Of Chocolates
Humboldt lily growing in Los Padres National Forest. “Sometimes I feel so uninspired Sometimes I feel like giving up Sometimes I feel so very tired Sometimes I feel like I’ve had enough” —Steve...
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Flight of the Condor, Rare Santa Barbara Roost
A condor over Sespe Wilderness in December, 2013. (Return to Whiteacre Peak Or Day of the Condor) Earlier this month I stood on a ridge along Arroyo Burro Trail gazing from afar into the rocky mouth of...
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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...
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Grouch of the Woods
The tentacular limbs of coast live oak trees in the Los Padres National Forest. “The presence of a jostling crowd. . .a familiar irritation to be borne with resignation.” —Edward Abbey, Desert...
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The Trout
(Author’s note: This story is being republished because of a faulty link in yesterday’s post, which when clicked rendered a “Not Found” memo. Please excuse the double posting if you have already seen...
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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...
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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...
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Vernal and Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park
Mortars in Yosemite Valley. The Urban Wilderness Yosemite National Park represents a contradiction to me. A place entirely about nature, but it’s crawling with hordes of chattering tourists and hiking...
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Petroglyphs, Isle of Arran, Scotland
The petroglyphs are found just inside this stand of planted conifers, silviculture being an important part of the local economy. At nine at night I stepped out for a walk in the woods. Couldn’t sit...
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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...
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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...
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Coldwater Camp, San Rafael Wilderness
Coldwater Camp lies in a meadow under a large oak tree along Lower Manzana Creek Trail, and is rimmed by hills. A detailed profile of the camp can be seen at Hike Los Padres – Coldwater Camp. The camp...
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Miner’s Rock Cabin at Eagle Cliff (1890)
The hike to Eagle Cliff Cabin. The cabin was originally built and occupied by miners sometime after 1890 at the site of Eagle Cliff mine, which is located in Joshua Tree National Park. The makeshift...
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San Marcos Foothills Rainbow
A rainbow over San Marcos Foothills Nature Preserve Tuesday afternoon. As of this writing, San Marcos Pass Station atop the Santa Ynez Mountains is reporting that 3.88 inches of rain have fallen in the...
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Ranger Peak Trail
“There was no telling of the sun, save for the one cold, dim, and even light that lay on every corner of the land and made no shadow, and the silence was close by and all around . . .” N. Scott...
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Goatfell Peak, Isle of Arran, Scotland
Goatfell Peak by silhouette from Brodick Bay. A view of Brodick Bay from the stony trail up to Goatfell Peak. Goatfell summit looking across at Cir Mhor or the “Great Comb.” (Properly pronounced here.)...
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Black Cottonwood Wildcraft
A dribble of resin oozing from the leaf bud of a black cottonwood tree (Populus trichocarpa) growing along the Santa Ynez River. Black cottonwood buds may hold the finest natural fragrance found in the...
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