Holy...Hole-y...Wholly Trees Fat Squirrel

We entered Redwoods National and State Park at dusk and by the serpentine scenic route. If the trees were going to be impressive in full sun they were surely ominous and surreal in the dim of the day. The gauze of filtered light that made it through the canopy had the effect of smudging the edges of the trees, making them seem less distinct and even larger than their true might. The twisty slalom of country road had us heading directly at these beasts at times and careening around them as we made our way to Mill Creek Campground.


Our first evening was uneventful except for the banana slugs that populate the forest. It seems that the only thing these slime-ball behemoths won't eat is Redwood trees. Every other plant or decomposing matter is up for grabs, so these guys breed (at least I think they do...perhaps they just divide or clone or xerox) like neon icky bunnies. Did I mention that they are huge? We saw one that was almost a foot long.

We woke and hiked for the first half of the day through incredible old-growth forest. These are the true elders of our planet and a powerful presence to be around. At every switchback we encountered a tree that was more grand, more stately, more prescient. I felt as though I was surrounded by my own ancestors and that all of the wisdom of the universe was right there, in my reach. This one day and hike was worth the cost of this trip.

We attended a hep little ranger presentation that night about the geology of the Redwood area and the Left Coast as a whole. Lots about plates and friction and volcanoes and tsunamis and the impending doom that will befall all of the critters living within the first hundred feet above sea level on the coast. The girls loved the whole talk, especially the part where Ali, as volunteer, handed out Oreos to all the participants. After using them as a prop to show how the plates move about and shove up piles of stuff (creamy filling) into mountain ranges, everyone got to eat their individual plates and their newly formed range.

In the morning, we would leave the park and head up the brief remainder of the California coast to Oregon...See you there.