Summer Solstice Nature Hike on Pine Mountain

Celebrate the Summer Solstice on Saturday, June 18, with a Nature Hike on Pine Mountain led by author and native plant educator Lanny Kaufer. He’ll visit some of the most spectacular scenery and habitat that Ventura County has to offer just when many late spring wildflowers are blooming at an elevation of 7000 feet.  According to Craig Carey, author of Hiking and Backpacking Santa Barbara and Ventura, the Reyes Peak Trail along the northern slope of the peak is “quite simply one of the most beautiful stretches in the southern Los Padres.”

The outing will start at 9:00 a.m. with a car caravan of about 35 miles up Highway 33 from the Maricopa Plaza, (1207 Maricopa Highway, Ojai, CA 93023) to the Reyes Peak trailhead. The final 5.5 miles are on a narrow, winding paved road and the very last half-mile is dirt. Trucks or SUV’s are preferred for the last stretch but most passenger cars with high clearance can also make the drive.

Kaufer will start walking into the Sespe Wilderness from the trailhead (where there is a restroom) at about 10:30 a.m., stop for lunch (not provided) in the forest, and return to the trailhead at 3:30 p.m., arriving back at the Maricopa Plaza by 4:00 p.m. The group will hike on a well-used trail through Mixed Conifer Forest habitat, stopping often to identify and discuss native plants, birds and wildlife. There will be some elevation gain and loss skirting the north side of Reyes Peak, sometimes traversing hillsides on a narrow trail. The total hiking distance will be about 3 miles.

This intermediate level hike is suitable for moderately experienced hikers or physically fit beginners. Weather and marine layer permitting, hikers will have panoramic views of the Cuyama Valley to the north and the Channel Islands to the south.  This hike is another in a series of backcountry walks and hikes under an Operating Permit from the Ojai Ranger District Office of the U.S. Forest Service designed for guides who provide recreational and interpretive services to the public.

Kaufer will have copies of his new book, Medicinal Herbs of California, with him for sale and signing before and after the hike. No dogs or smoking, please. Light rain will not cancel. Heavy rain or chance of thunderstorms will.

REGISTRATION INFO:
The cost for the hike is $45/person. Senior, student and child discounts are available by request. Paid registrants will receive a confirmation email a few days prior to the event with all necessary info, including what to bring, weather forecast, and directions to the trailhead. Afterwards, they will receive a follow-up email with a list of all plants and wildlife seen. Register now at HerbWalks.com or by calling 805-646-6281.

ABOUT LANNY KAUFER:

Lanny Kaufer has been leading Herb Walks and Nature Hikes in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties since 1976, educating hundreds of locals and visitors on the flora of the area with a focus on herbs that can be used for food and medicine. As an herbal educator, Lanny also hosts workshops and presentations throughout the Ojai-Ventura–Santa Barbara area on the uses of California plants. He operates his outdoor adventures under Special Use Permits from the U.S. Forest Service and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, among others.

Lanny’s science background comes from earning a Biology degree at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he completed independent studies in naturopathic medicine under physiology professor Dr. Henry Hilgard in the early 1970s. During those years and since then he also studied and collaborated with Chumash plant expert Juanita Centeno and renowned herbalists William LeSassier, Michael Tierra, and Michael Moore, among others.

Lanny served as chief consultant on medicinal plants for the redesign of the Swimmer Medicinal Garden in Playa Vista and continues to work with the Garden Committee and the Garden’s founder, Michael Swimmer. He actively shares his events and knowledge online through his website HerbWalks.com, his free monthly newsletter, and on social media. Lanny lives in Ojai with his wife Rondia.

Lanny is the author of Medicinal Herbs of California: A Field Guide to Common Healing Plants (Falcon Guides, 2021).