Tag: backpacking

  • Chumash XI, XII, and XIII

    Chumash XI, XII, and XIII

    Sometimes life gets in the way of things that matter … but that’s not actually the case here. In this case, life just got in the way of my drafting a report about the things that matter — namely, getting the wee ones out into the fair corners of our backcountry. And so now I…

  • Dungeons of Maptitude Review No. 6: Conant’s 2015 San Rafael Wilderness

    Dungeons of Maptitude Review No. 6: Conant’s 2015 San Rafael Wilderness

    Rejoice, fellow wanderers of the wood — we have new mappage! Now, those who follow the map reviews on this little site are likely familiar with Bryan Conant‘s San Raf maps, though I’ve only (until now) reviewed the 2008 and 2013 editions of his excellent Matilija and Dick Smith Wilderness map. But now I’m happy…

  • Of Pines, Water, and Wasting Away

    Of Pines, Water, and Wasting Away

    It was a rag-tag crew that convened at the Horn Canyon trailhead on a recent Friday afternoon; dads just off work and kids and allies all ready to end the week with some fine time in a fine corner of the southern Los Padres. There have been plenty of quick trips into the backwood of…

  • Chumash X

    Chumash X

    Stop me if you’ve heard this one. In early April, the monkeys and I headed into the backwood for our annual Chumash Wilderness sojourn. We had spent the morning at the LPFA‘s excellent open house event at Wheeler Gorge, and so didn’t quite get the early start we often enjoy, but it was a sublime…

  • End of the Road

    End of the Road

    There has been no shortage of idle musings and short reports from this site of our numerous excursions along the Kennedy Ridge trail and the (Far) East Camino Cielo, exploratories which culminated to a degree with the brush-busting mess that was our November 2013 exploratory beyond the “known road” of the old East Camino Cielo…

  • Dungeons of Maptitude Review No. 5: Harrison’s 2014 Sespe Wilderness

    Dungeons of Maptitude Review No. 5: Harrison’s 2014 Sespe Wilderness

    Earlier this year, backcountry cartography stalwart Tom Harrison released his revised Sespe Wilderness Trail Map, updated for 2014. For those who tread the Sespe Wilderness and its immediate environs with any frequency, the Harrison map is the only area map worth having in your kit.