Redwoods reflections and awe.

October 17, 2010

I am a believer, trees have faces and souls.  The Redwoods are such survivors of time; their beautiful symbiosis with the throes of nature are a testament to my emerging belief system.  Survival must have something to do with adaptation and purpose.  These trees, borne and nurtured by sun and mist for over 1,500 years, have seen it all, and then return to the earth, becoming homes for animal and plant life, ultimately transforming the forest floor that we are lucky enough to walk on.  What a gorgeous decay process. 

Colors and swirls, artistry in nature. 

Towering trees, so old and strong. 

I wanted to touch their oldness, breathe in the air that is palpably thick with oxygen and nurturance, and lay on the soft moss that coats everything.  The ferns, the brooks, the spontaneous waterfalls, the bird and brush animals sounds that alternated from symphonic to silence, all of it was inspiring.  Somewhere in Wyoming, I remember reading a quote that might have been said by Teddy Roosevelt, on creating the National Park system.  I think he said something like, “Big spaces inspire big thinking.”  This has been with me for our forays into the wild, and I continue to thank him for setting aside this land for natural, inspiring, beauty.  Being deep in the forest, where it’s so easy to literally lose yourself, is mysterious and peaceful, and being in that mental place is rich for thinking.  

This is "Big Tree," 23 feet in diameter and 72 feet around.  A peaceful towering giant. 

This tree was carved out by an ancient lightning strike, and now is home to flora and fauna galore. 

When trees age, a gorgeous spiral pattern is revealed.  We've seen this over and over, and every time it seems more profound. 

This morning we packed up our seaside campsite, which we can add to the list of amazing sites, recall pillars and pinnacles in the Badlands, pine groves and rock formations in Yellowstone, lakefront wooded site in Grand Tetons, aspens and cottonwood groves at Devils Tower, WY, and of course our backyard camping in Custer, South Dakota.  

The jilts and washboards of the 6 mile gravel road was completely worth the beachfront camping at Gold Bluffs Campground.  We were literally a walk from the wild pacific ocean and we fell asleep to waves crashing.  In these parts, fog rolls in and settles like a sheet.  It was damp and cool when the sun wasn’t out, but being near the ocean alleviates any weather based discomfort, and I was so happy to be there.  

What a great companion for this trip, I couldn't have asked for a better partner. 

There he is again, who's that rugged, good looking guy on the beach?  

We had a campfire, and another amazing dinner (beans, quinoa, zucchini, tomato, garlic, curry steam), and walks on the beach.  In the morning a beautiful dog introduced us to her human, and we talked about her hitchhiking adventures, the frequent “gutter punks” (new phrase for me) in Oregon and California, and what trails we should try out.  We went for a DIY trail combination, starting in Fern Canyon, heading towards Miners Ridge and Clintonia, we did about a 5 mile loop, completely immersed in the mystery and ancientness that is the Redwoods. 

While we were walking, I kept getting the feeling that we were interrupting animal conversations and interactions, and wondering about what we lost out on by being human.