Tag: backpacking
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Sespe at Spring
When the vernal equinox ticked over late last April, a hearty crew of backcountry wanderers were bedded down amongst the palm trees and cobbles of Hot Springs Canyon, deep in the Sespe Wilderness. It seemed appropriate that spring should, in fact, begin at the Springs. The Expat Returns, Very Late Winter 2014 My first visit…
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Chumash IX
Beware the Ides of March! Yep, it’s that time again, when the pack gets antsy and the wee ones have their backpacks ready to go and waiting, leaning against their nightstands for the “go” signal. And so it was on the Ides of March this year, when we departed on a breezy and cool Saturday…
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Return to the Pines
“My girl, my girl, don’t lie to me Tell me, where did you sleep last night?” In the winter of 2013 (you know, back when this stretch of the Los Padres still received on occasion this thing we once called “precipitation”), Trailmaster Cobra, the Cubmaster, and Bardlero Primero and I enjoyed a day trip to…
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Sierra Club “Releases the Hounds!”
It’s no secret I hike with dogs, and the most recent issue of the Sierra Club’s Condor Call carries a piece I wrote for the Condor Trail-centric “Soaring the Los Padres” column discussing hiking and backpacking with dogs. You can view the entire issue here, but below I’m also sharing the content for those interested.…
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Alder Creek Worktrip
A Cut Above In late April of this year, I received an email from the Ojai RD that a small crew was being assembled to slay some downed trees along the Alder Creek Trail in the Sespe Wilderness. It was admittedly a long-shot for most of the prospective volunteers … a three-day mid-week sojourn via…
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Chumash Annual VIII
A Family Affair I’ve made no secret of my love for what is now the Chumash Wilderness, and many a post on this site has sung the praises of that stretch of the Los Padres. It was the stretch where I cut my own teeth, where the uber-hund and I perfected her trail manners, and…