The California Redwoods
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
John Muir
We have seen some wondrous things on this journey, and on our travels in the past. But the redwoods; well, they are simply magical. First, there is the intense quiet that surrounds them. They speak to you in whispers, from centuries of wisdom. You can hear them if you listen closely. They say come…feel the silence…know the spirit of nature. It’s a feeling I won’t soon forget. Photography is not the way to experience them, but for now, it’s all I can give. Please, if you haven’t experienced them, find a way to do so.
THE FOREST PRIMEVAL
PERSPECTIVE
FALLEN GIANT
The largest among them are taller than Niagra Falls and weigh up to a million pounds. One that fell in a major storm registered on seismographs 10 miles away, where residents thought it was a train wreck. They are wide enough to drive through and have withstood lightning strikes, fierce windstorms and even loggers who tried to destroy them. Some are so large that offshoots which grow out of their sides are as large as most normal trees.
TOWARD THE HEAVENS
ABSTRACT – ONE TREE
AMIDST NATURE’S MAJESTY
There is no way to capture the spirit or the size of any of these beautiful specimens. I saw a National Geographic article that stitched together 4 photos for a single shot of a tree. It’s worth a visit at http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/redwoods/gatefold-image . In print it was a 4-page fold-out. And beautiful. I remember a story some time ago about a woman who camped on a platform for months on a tree they were threatening to cut down. Now I understand why.
BIG TREE
The National Park people have given them ridiculous names like “Big Tree”, “Giant Tree”, etc. I figured out later that that’s because there are really no words to describe them.
INSIGNIFICANT
And beyond their size and splendor, they serve as sentinels for many other life forms, including wonderful ferns and a myriad of other plant and insect species.
FERNS AT THEIR FEET
Karle Wilson Baker said it much better than I could have. “Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees.” My sentiments exactly.
Travels and Trifles 
I suppose that the Redwoods are symbolic of America – big! Big can have different meanings like big ego but I use it in the positive sense here. I certainly do not associate you with ego. And while I can have many excuses about my recent rant about the closure (like the company i work for will not stop something without proper notice), I realize that the rant was about not controlling the ego at that point. And this post is certainly nostalgic – it was taken with a Nikon 🙂
That’s true Abrie! A moment of silence for that fine but now outdated instrument that served me so well!
Gorgeous photos then and now, Tina! I love trees too!
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What a beautiful post, and your photos are amazing. I must try to visit these giants of trees, I remember reading about them when I was quite small, but have yet to visit. Old woodlands do have such an incredible impact on our senses 🙂
Thanks Seonaid, they really were amazing. Have seen some wondrous sights in my travels but I think these amazing trees may have been the most inspirational. Toss-up versus my night on the water at Doubtful Sound, NZ. But that was before my digital days 😦
Sent from my iPad
Nice post. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, my pleasure 🙂 Somehow you slipped into spam – sorry.
Wonderful post! I agree, no words to describe them. Love the quote. Thank you for taking me here. 🙂
Thanks so much Amy. They really are something!
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What an incredible place this must be! We have trees around here that I thought were pretty big, but they are actually quite small compared to those Redwoods. Love these photos. Definitely a place we will have to visit some day!
It’s amazing! Thanks so much for your note. Hope you get to see them some day – worth the trip 🙂
Love the photos and ponderings. Glad you are enjoying.
Thanks leslee. You have to ponder when you are among these beauties! T
Bailey looks so tiny in the middle of that tree. Great photo
Thanks BD! Trees are awesome! T
what a magical way to wake up….how could one not get LOST in their beauty & mystery???
ps…who’s the midget in the photos??? Thanks for sharing!!
Tough to make bailey look tiny but the trees did it! Thanks April.
How lovely! Love the photos!
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed. And thanks for visiting!