Redwood Park
Redwood Nat’l Park is amazing. Jeremy and I drove down last week and camped for three nights at Jedediah Smith campground just outside Crescent City. The trees are wide and wise; whole ecosystems unto themselves with spider webs in their bark, chipmunks scampering all about, ferns and mosses blanketing the forest floor. Those forests are so full of stillness, not just silence - stillness. Being in them was overwhelmingly bittersweet as I remembered that only 2% of the original old growth redwood forests are left after 150 years of logging. The forests are absolutely sacred ground.
On Friday and Saturday, we probably hiked a total of 15 miles. One of the hikes, Damnation Creek Trail, dropped 1000 ft. in elevation over a mile (let’s just say we paused frequently coming back up) and then wound down further to a secluded rocky beach strewn with white driftwood. Jeremy and I perched on the rocks and watched the tide go out, the oyster catchers, turkey vultures, and ravens. Breathtaking. Tall Trees Trail is another hike I recommend. In the south end of the park, getting there requres about 90 minute trip from Crescent City (a gorgeous drive). At the end of the trail lies a grove of about ten of the oldest redwoods - probably 1000 years each.
We meandered up the Oregon coast yesterday; I think it took us about nine hours to get home! We stopped frequently to walk the beach, dangle our toes in the Alsea River, used bookstores, etc. The weather was superb, clear and about 65 degrees or so. Perfect. This week, I’ll be posting a huge load of photos from the trip - stay tuned!