Letter from the Editor: Call of the Wild

Many of the stories in this issue will appeal to our outdoorsy, nature-loving readers, from a ridealong with a park ranger to our coverage of eco-conscious products, to a story on a daring San Diegan pilot who is flying from the South Pole to the North Pole. But the main reason to dive into this issue is our cover story. Our adventure guide maps out 12 big California experiences for everyone’s bucket list.

Writer Chase Scheinbaum is a SoCal native who lives for surfing, bouldering with buddies, and camping in the mountains; he has more tales of rescue and near-death than anyone I know, and he’s all the wiser for it. He has lived to write the cautionary tale. You’re in good hands with him.

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The photography is stellar, too, a refreshing 180 from last month’s real estate issue, which was all about the built world, densification, and infill development.

When it’s safe to travel again, I hope this issue inspires you to pursue adventures that will humble you, move you, and offer solitude and perspective. I’ve always said that my most memorable travel days were not spent indoors inside a museum or gallery—the days I won’t forget, I was bicycling along the Salzach River at the foot of the Alps, swimming with whale sharks in Mexico, and standing at the edge of Jökulsárlón, an Icelandic lagoon with a retreating glacier. And I’m not even a nature person. So use this guide to get outside, and we’ll see you when you come back home to San Diego. Happy trails.

Who knew? There are seasonal waterfalls in Joshua Tree.