Back in May of 2007, I read and reviewed a book, The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston. M.D Vaden, of Oregon, recently posted a comment:
. . . After many hikes and exploring deep within Jedediah Smith Redwoods, I've also had a chance to see the Grove of Titans. If my name or site hyperlinks right, you may find a page about those giant redwoods stored there as well.
Even though they are giants, I don't find them to be more special as individuals, than the entire forest as a whole. Most people, from the forest floor, would not notice much difference at all, other than the massive trunks. And you need to be fairly close to tell how big the trunks are.
He has posted pictures of the Grove of Titans, which I found awe inspiring. While the trees themselves are the focus of the book, M.D. recommends that you start by seeing the forest as it is when Sillett and Company set off to find the biggest of the big:
The Richard Preston book does not exagerate the severity of bushwhacking or exploring that can be encountered in the redwood trees rainforest.
How far the bears travel into the redwoods, we don't know. That redwood forest floor was so unstable to walk on in some places, I'm not sure if bears would want to go there. But we traveled slowly to avoid startling animals.
Almost every log was an obstacle. Some logs are easily 10' high or more, even laying on their sides. Only a couple of logs helped, where we could walk along them to bridge forest floor debris. One log spanned a chasm, saving us 10 minutes.
We noticed quite a few sharp-ended stubs on small logs concealed with forest debris, presenting the risk of being impaled by jumping down. So we opted to climb less logs and go around often.
Thanks for the comments, M.D. I hope to one day venture to the Northwest to see these trees for myself and I will start by taking your advice by seeing the forest where Sillett started his quest.
Even now, almost a year since I read it, that book has left an impact on me. I highly recommend it and still find myself talking about it to anyone that will listen.
Comment posted by Yancy Lent02/11/2008 12:30:29 PM
Homepage: http://www.planetlotus.org
This is very strange. The 5 of us were in the Suburban yesterday and my 8 year old daughter asks "how many pounds in a Ton"? then "what is the tallest tree"? She was doing a kid crossword puzzle and it lead to a conversation on Redwoods and how tall they are. My wife is envious that I've seen some and she hasn't. I found myself browsing wikipedia while my wife drove, spewing out random redwood trivia. I too can't wait to venture out with the fam to the Northwest!
Comment posted by Gregg Eldred02/11/2008 12:37:40 PM
Homepage: http://www.ns-tech.com/blog/geldred.nsf
@Yancy - My kids are sick and tired of me talking about Tall Trees. I need a new audience. If you are so inclined, read the book. Since I can't talk to your daughter, and bore someone else with Big Tree facts, maybe you can.
I hope that Bruce and Duffbert have taken advantage of their location, so close to the giant trees.
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