Revised First Edition

Release the Hounds!

Five years ago this past September, the RSO and I grabbed the uber-hund and headed out into the Los Padres to document just about every route in the Ojai, Santa Barbara, and Mt. Pinos districts.

We made a lot of new friends and gained some new hiking pals along the way, and after 722 miles and countless late whisky- and AC/DC-fueled nights in the Dungeons of Maptitude, the first edition of Hiking and Backpacking Santa Barbara and Ventura was complete, and published in the summer of 2012. My mantra was “if it’s out there, it’s probably in here.”

Book in Repose | Topatopa Lodge | Summer 2012 and courtesy the RSO

The book barely scratched the surface of all the history — both human and natural — I’d have liked to include, but in the end proved to be a pretty useful 406 pages of southern Los Padres goodness. (Or at least I like to think it’s pretty useful.)

So I’m happy to announce the first printing of the guide sold out this past fall, and before printing the second run, Wilderness Press allowed me to reach in and make numerous minor corrections and updates. Pagination couldn’t be affected, so it was with a fairly fine touch I had to make the requisite changes (many of which were courtesy of readers noting typos and other errors, and to them I am eternally grateful). From a transposed UTM coordinate deep in the Tule Creek drainage to my mishearing an old-timer’s anecdote about Madulce Cabin and Alamar Tin Shack to updated campground fees across the forest, I’ve addressed as many as I could in this revised first edition (and swapped out one map with some updates).

Naturally, the mercenary side of me invites anybody who doesn’t already own the original first edition — or who is a completist and doesn’t want any empty spaces in their Los Padres library — to grab themselves a copy! The guide will be available from my site beginning December 2, and is also tucked into the recently-updated Beard Bundle (which also includes the brand-new 2014 Tom Harrison Sespe Wilderness map).

Oh hey, and before you ask … yes, yes, we’ll discuss plans for an expended and super-ambitious second edition down the line. 😉

Thanks for all the support, it’s been appreciated since Day 1.

TO THE HILLS!