THURSDAY, AUGSUT 27

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27:

       A gorgeous day – sunny, perfect warm temperature in the 70's. We took advantage and walked/hiked in 2 different redwood groves, both in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Actually, we had passed through this stretch last year on our way down from the Oregon coast and back up to Grants Pass, and were blown away by our unexpected short encounter with the redwoods. Still blown away!  As the Park pamphlet ssays, “Remaining Coast Redwood forests grow naturally only in a narrow strip along the Pacific coastline from central California into southern Oregon. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park proects 10,000 acres of these first-growth primeval treasures.”

 

      About halfway through our walk on the Simpson Reed trail, we ran into a Park Ranger. We just started talking, and before long, it was like we had our own private Ranger-led hike, one of our very favorite ways of experiencing our national parks. Ranger Mike explained why this Redwood grove, typical of most, has lots of secondary and tertiary trees (conifers and hardwoods, respectively), as well as lots of brushy undergrowth.

 

 

                                            Exposed roots of a tree blown over: 

          

 

                                                                 

 

He also explained why Redwoods live so long - their inner layer contains tannin, an acid, which is highly resistant to insects, fungi, and rot; the trees are also highly resistant to fire because they contain no pitch. He said that it's very fortunate that these trees are so hardy, in that there is ever increasing “poaching” of their burls – the knobby growths usually seen near the base of the trunks, which often have complex and uniquely patterned wood grains.

 

They're highly prized for furniture and artwork, worth thousands of dollars, and people come into the parks at dark and illegally cut them off of the trees, leaving huge scars. This would leave most trees very susceptible to insect and fungi damage, leading to death. But, unless the damage is severe, most Redwoods can heal. Nevertheless, it's sickening to think of the wanton disrespect those thieves have for these magnificent showpieces of nature. He said that they have been able to trace a few of the stolen burls, and have successfully prosecuted some. However, the approach that the NPS is really taking in order to combat this is to educate and rally public support -e.g., if you're about to purchase an object fashioned out of Redwood burl, ask what the source is. If the seller doesn't know, pass on it.

     Our second walk was through the Stout Grove. Because this grove is situated near a river, it periodically becomes flooded, and therefore prevents much of the understory growth. As a result, the old growth Redwood trees themselves are showcased here maybe better than anywhere else in the world. Walking through this forest, it almost had a cathedral-like feel to it, hushed and serene, dappled in sunlight as though through stained-glass windows.

                                                               

And a feel of mystery, too, when the canopy obscured the sun.

 Or when we came across really monster-resembling burls.

                                                      

 

     A real contrast when we came out of the woods into the warm, bright sunshine shining on the crystal clear river.

 

                                                                 

 

      A really, really nice day enjoying these easy walks through sublime and awesome beauty.