Wildflowers on Carrizo Plain, California. Photo by Alan Scheirmier.

This feature was first published in the 2008 Wilderness Magazine. To receive the annual magazine and quarterly newsletters from The Wilderness Society, become a member today! Freelance writer Anne McMahon of Santa Margarita, California, is a former newspaper reporter who also has worked for U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) and The Nature Conservancy. Read more