Tromp Blog

Hiking Through Quicksilver and ‘The Legend of New Almaden’

The remains of the April Tunnel Trestle.

This story begins with a mysterious mural—153 square feet of bizarre suffering and eerie salvation. From the upper left corner, a demon with legs like coiled springs descends upon men in loincloths.

Coast Dairies Tromp

This is a frequent sight at Coast Dairies, a scenic swath of coastal hills and redwood canyons between Wilder Ranch and Swanton Road.

A hike at Coast Dairies, subject of a new campaign for a Santa Cruz Redwoods National Monument.

Jade Cove and the Conscious Unconscious

A view of the South Cove from the top of the trail.

February 2013. I am freediving in water the color of the Ring Nebula. My body slinks through a labyrinth of boulders. My mind is lost among a mosaic of algae, sponges, limpets and barnacles. It is seeking, seeking, seeking jade’s smooth and lustrous wink.

Fungus: The Fruit of Winter

Jack-o-Lantern mushrooms photographed by Jason Hollinger.

Parks Interpreter Rose Nelson gives the lowdown on the mushrooms found at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and explains the wonder of "winter's fruit."

Lost and Found: Sea to Summit on Big Sur’s Cone Peak

Like all climbs from the ocean side of Big Sur, the payoffs are immediate and breathtaking.

It’s a beautiful Christmas morning. At roughly 8:30 am, I park my car across Highway 1 from the Kirk Creek Campground, 45 miles south of Big Sur Valley. High overhead lurks the hidden marble summit of Cone Peak.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s California

Although he only spent one year here, it is difficult to gauge which made more of an impression on the other, California on Stevenson or he on the state.

The 2014 Hilltromper Gift Guide

Designed in Santa Cruz, the Nightshift bike light lets you ride into the night with style.

Got a special adventurenik on your list? We've got you covered.

The Tallest Redwoods in The Great Park

Ten of the 14 biggest trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains are found in Big Basin. Photo: Allie Caulfield

The loftiest trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains are more than 300 feet tall—and you'll find them all inside the Great Park.

The Horrors of the Summit Tunnel

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The history of Wrights Tunnel in the Santa Cruz Mountains—once the second longest railroad tunnel in California—is a tale of death, greed and bigotry.

Rain Sorcery: A Wyrd Hike with Newts

On a witchy, late November morning, I set out in a steady rainstorm from Waddell Beach. My plan was to hike to the waterfalls—Berry Creek, Silver and Golden—in Big Basin Redwoods State Park and witness the season’s first heavy rain roar through the trio of cataracts.

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