To stand within a grove of Old-Growth Redwood trees is an experience that will leave you speechless.
DW and I try to get our Redwood fix every couple of years and did so late this week and, despite the fact that the experience can not really be captured by a camera, I’ve attached a few photos for those of you who either have never been to the Redwoods, or might appreciate a reminder of their grandeur.
These photos were taken in the Jedediah Smith Grove just out of Crescent City, CA. While this grove doesn’t sport the very largest, the trees are still quite massive and in the neighborhood of 300+ feet tall. In this particular grove, a gravel road winds for about 7 miles through the stand with plenty of turnouts to pull off and wander among these old giants.
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Incredible! While this is a sight I've seen in person before, these majestic beauties never cease to amaze me. Can't wait to get my wife and kids westward on a rip to see the redwoods.
Thanks for sharing.
If you were in cresent City, did you happen to see the "Currly Redwood Motel"? That place was built/sided/paneled from one curly redwood tree. The pictures they have of that tree was incredible
Thanks for the memory jog! Saw that one several years ago...I'd kind of forgotten about it....shame on me!
Just north of Crescent City, on the way back...in the area of the Pelican Bay Prison, I spotted a redwood stump in someones front yard....must have been over 20' across....
As we wandered through the Smith Grove, we pulled off to check out one area....there was a logger who had pulled off with his DW ands kids.
We visited a bit and, dressed in his suspenders, hickory shirt and Carhart- stagged- off logger jeans, confessed to me: "Ya know, despite all the friction between us loggers and the tree huggers, I come through here and can't help but understand their passion sometimes."
I've experienced the same feelings.....fortunately, there are some permanent set-asides.
My last three years of high school were spent in the Santa Cruz mountains in a house I helped my parents build. We had some enomous redwoods, and several stumps from turn-of-the-century logging. The butt of the trunks were so huge, they had to chop out footholds and climb up 15 feet to cut it down. My brother and I would climb those stumps and sit amoung the trees.
Thanks for the memory. One of the highlights of my life was the three years I lived there.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Those footholds were actually springboard notches; timber fallers set springboards into the notches to stand on while cutting through the bole, or trunk.
Springboards were simply a short wood plank attached to a steel plate with a wide tooth (for want of a better description) that dug into the notch in the tree.
My late Dad had his old cork boot scarred spring board that was one of his artifact tools I failed to get my hands on.....
I spent some time in the Santa Cruz mountains during my Navy enlistment....beautiful area!
Edited 9/24/2006 4:30 pm by Notchman
Felten. Ironically, I went from the Santa Cruz mountains, to the USN, lol. When were you there?
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
1967 and then later 71-72.