About H4
The H4 Foundation is a group of dedicated individuals who are not only interested in historical preservation, but also in making that history available to those who may benefit from the therapeutic value of “unplugging” and connecting with nature. We preserve “history in place” and invite others to venture off the grid and experience what life was like generations ago. We are excited about recent research that highlights “wilderness therapy” and other psychological benefits of bonding with nature. The H4 Foundation locates wilderness historical sites and, with the cooperation of governing bodies such as the US Forest Service, restores them to period correctness. We then make them accessible and safe, but particularly for at-risk youth and foster children who we feel will benefit most.
The H4 Foundation came to be almost by accident. The foundation’s founder, Mike Harris, discovered numerous historic ruins in California’s gold country in the pursuit of his favorite pastime - gold mining. Mike Harris, now a successful small business owner, grew up in “the system,” passing through several foster homes before reaching adulthood. Never truly bonding with any parental figure, Mike found himself in trouble with the law and on a path that led to dereliction, incarceration and ultimately worse. He found his way clear of that life more than 25 years ago but has never forgot how difficult his youth was.
Now a father, Mike was determined to expose his son to life – real life. And it doesn’t get much more real than how the gold miners lived during the early years of the California Gold Rush. In his prospecting, Mike took his son with him on his prospecting adventures. While they may not have made a fortune finding gold, they found something far more valuable. They found peace; the kind of peace. The kind of peace that comes from disconnecting and unplugging from the modern world. He did not know it at the time, but what Mike found was already being studied by researchers, he found the therapeutic value of the wilderness.
While Mike still looks for gold, the prospecting has taken a back seat to the discovery of historic treasure. Old mines, mining camps and cabins are hidden throughout the California’s gold country, but most have been torn down as they become an “attraction nuisance” and cannot be easily protected by the US Forest Service. The H4 Foundation’s first project is the Pine Nut Cabin, which is located above the Foresthill divide in the Tahoe National Forest near the Placer Big Trees Grove. Rebuilt in 1920 by the Davidson Brothers, this cabin is still structurally sound and still has the old wood stove, miners’ clothing, tools and many other historic artifacts. Once restored to period correctness, this cabin will be the first of many where kids can experience the peace brought about by a therapeutic wilderness experience.
