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.” I promise that first time visitors to this area will be surprised and delighted to find a thick forest of pines, fir and cedar so close to the Ventura coast. And the views!!

Read more, see photos, and sign up at this link.

This time of year I come off the trail to work on co- producing the Bowlful of Blues in Ojai's beautiful Libbey Bowl. This year marks our 25th anniversary! Check out all the fun and buy tickerts at this link. You won't regret it.

Herb Walks with Lanny Kaufer is proud to present the inaugural Ojai Herbal Symposium, November 16-18, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Kevin Spelman, an internationally recognized expert on the molecular biology and clinical therapeutics of botanical medicines. He is known for his work on the chemistry of cannabinoids.

Our impressive list of experts, authors, and practitioners from across the medical spectrum includes USC pharmacologist James Adams; integrative oncologist Mary Hardy, MD; author, herbalist and clinical psychotherapist Amanda McQuade Crawford; clinical herbalist Jess Starwood; acupuncturist and medicinal herb specialist Dr. Fred Siciliano; integrative pharmacist Dr. Pam Tarlow; Mela Gaskins Butcher, founder and director of the Center for Ayurveda; registered herbalist Carol Wade; Chumash elder Julie Tumamait-Stenslie; traditional healer Tonantzin Cihualcoutl Guerra; Sandy Messori of Rivendell Aromatics; and acupuncturist Nathan Kaehler.

Vendor applications are available for the Herbal Marketplace. Volunteers are needed to help staff the event.

Details and registration at OjaiHerbalSymposium.org.

Dr. Adams has been a frequent and popular contributor to my events for the past six years. This workshop is based on his ground-breaking pharmacological studies on local native plants. (See Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West)

The plant identification session will take place at two native plant gardens in downtown Ojai, where Dr. Adams and I will identify and discuss the medicinal uses of a wide variety of native plants.

The afternoon hands-on preparation session will be held at a community kitchen nearby. After the workshop, participants will receive a complete list of all plants that are identified and/or utilized as well as recipes and other info.

Read more and register at this link.