Trail Talks Open Mic Night: Tales from the Wild
We’re excited to announce and welcome you to this year’s Trail Talks Open Mic Night. This is our third year in a row of handing the mic over to you the audience, and we have five great presenters who will be sharing about their outdoor adventures, passions, and experience!
So mark your calendars for this Thursday, December 18, 6:30-7:30 PM, in the Santa Barbara Public Library's Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA
Trail Talks Open Mic Night: Tales from the Wild
Featuring:
Alyssa Kliewer: Field Notes from the Golden State - local writer and artist, Alyssa will share about her journey through California’s National Parks and other hidden gems and the inspiration that comes with living in what has to be the most beautiful state.
Jill Murray: Blazing Trails: Empowering Girl Scouts Through Adventure - an avid backpacker, Jill will share about Trek Wild, a volunteer-led group that teaches Girl Scouts to hike and backpack in a safe, structured, and fun program. Jill started backpacking when she was 10 with the Girl Scouts, and is thrilled to now be sharing backpacking with her daughter and other Girl Scouts.
Holly Sherwin: The Wonders of Artemisia Californica - naturalist, artist, environmental educator, forager, and trail enthusiast, Holly has roamed the Santa Barbara hillsides for over 20 years and loves to share her knowledge and connection to this special place and its non-human inhabitants, including one of her all time favorites: California Sagebrush.
Dan Fontaine: How Many Toes Does a Bear Have? - avid naturalist and birder, Dan is going to share about several encounters with bears he’s had, and how we might begin to relate to them, plus if we’re lucky, he will share with us a trick for remembering how many toes appear in the track of a bear.
Dianna Jaynes: The Magic of the Trans-Catalina Trail - self-described nature- and hiking-obsessed Californian Dianna will share about her journey with discovering ultra-light thru-hiking and her experience backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail in May 2025, which is a rugged 38.5 mile, four-day traverse of Catalina Island.
This free presentation is part of the Trail Talks series hosted by the Santa Barbara Public Library.
The next talk in the series is Thursday, February 19, 2026, Far-flung Hikes of the Los Padres with Ojai Valley News author Perry Van Houten
