Spellbound in the Redwood Forest

We head out of Ft. Bragg toward Trinidad in search of the Redwood National and State Parks.

I have no idea what to expect other than very big trees. When we hike into the forest for the first time, I’m amazed at how magical and mystical the place feels. It is so lush and green with moss growing on trees and hanging from branches. There are so many nooks and crannies to climb into and explore.

I’m beckoned back to memories of childhood as I climb into a hollowed out tree trunk with my daughters. I marvel at the massive tree still standing after extensive fire damage. Inside the trunk it’s like a fort in the woods, a secret shared by a select few.

“Mom, come and play with me”

We are hiking the Lady Bird Johnson trail and I’m mesmerized by the mystery and beauty all around me. This magical place is so much more than I ever thought it would be. It feels like a fairy garden and I’m the fairy amongst the towering fixtures.

Two of my daughters cannot manage to hug a tree today, even when they join hands together. Some of the trunks are so massive that it would take six people or more linking hands together in order to make it around the trunk. Typical size at the base is around 22 feet!

The trees soar high into the air claiming their rightful title as the tallest trees in the world. They get their beginnings as a tiny 3 millimeter seed. That’s about the size of a tomato seed! They can exceed many city skyscrapers with heights upwards of 367 feet.

If left unharmed these redwoods can endure two millenniums! Imagine 2,000 years rooted in the ground, what secrets they must hold. I feel a wave of humility wash over me as I stand in wonder. They have such amazing fortitude to survive fire and resist disease that it’s hard to comprehend.

Inside the tree I climbed into with my daughters

It’s also hard to comprehend anyone wanting to bring harm to these majestic relics.

But sadly, the old growth forest trees are virtually nonexistent. However, a handful were saved from logging efforts before they were lost forever. With what was once over two million acres of old growth coastal redwoods, there is only 4% of the original trees remaining and protected by the Redwood National and State Parks. Thanks can be given to the efforts of the Save-the-Redwoods League, who fought for their survival.

California’s North Coast provides the only suitable environment in the world for these massive redwoods. They are limited to a few hundred miles along the coast, which provides the right combination of longitude, climate, and elevation for them to thrive.

As noted on the park service website:

“Their existence speaks for themselves, not in words, but rather in a soft-toned voice of patience and endurance.”

And endure they have. For that, they deserve the utmost respect. I am humbled, I am awed, I feel so small among their grand shadows. If you haven’t, please go see the California Coastal Redwoods. I promise, they will not disappoint.

Up next, we find a hole draining the Pacific Ocean as we explore the Oregon Coast! Come join us.

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{HUGS} from the Crew!