I spent the past week in the redwood trees along the southern Oregon and northern California coastline. I don’t remember why Chris and I planned a trip to the redwoods, other than they’re not far from Portland and it’s always pleasant to spend some time among tall trees. I think also that after the past two pandemic years, we were craving a reminder of our interconnectedness.
The redwoods stretch into the sky, so tall their tops disappear into mist. The weather wasn’t great, but we have nice raincoats and the forest canopy protects you from the worst of the rain.
I also felt as though the trees appreciated us visiting them at what is likely their favorite time of year, when they’re absorbing the moisture necessary for life in a place where summers grow hotter and drier with each ring they grow.
Chris doesn’t see detail well, so I took some close-up photos so he could see the way the water dripped from the moss.
There are so many ways to experience the redwoods with your senses. You can drive along the parkways, seeing the trees as a forest. You can walk along gentle flat paths within the groves, feeling your footfalls on the soft earth. Or you could take a strenuous backcountry hike. You can also listen for raindrops in the trees, as well as taste them on your tongue – or feel them on your skin.
The forest can be overwhelming. All of that green! The smell of all those phytochemicals! It’s heady. If you ever visit the redwoods, I recommend that you place your hand on the bark of one of the trees and close your eyes. There is no rush. Just allow yourself to notice what it feels like to be in the forest. The trees will wait. Some of them have been around for 1,500 years.
Days or months or years later, even if you’re hundreds or thousands of miles away, you’ll be able to close your eyes and summon up that feeling of interconnectedness.
Many of the trees we visited are within the Indigenous ancestral homelands (and current home) of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation. Redwoods are known as K'vsh-chu in the Tolowa Dee-ni’ language.
The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation consulted on the development of some of the new signage at the Grove of Titans, where state park workers were building an elevated metal pathway so that visitors don’t compact the soil with their footsteps in this sacred grove. Among my favorite signs was this reminder at the beginning of the grove: We are all connected in this place.
Most of the trails don’t allow dogs, which is understandable. They chase squirrels and annoy bears and leave waste in fragile ecosystems. But we were able to take Mojie out with us in two places: The Cal Barrel trail, which is an old logging road in the southern part of Redwoods National Park in California; and the Redwood Nature Trail in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southern Oregon.
There is something so beautiful about how, in an old-growth forest, a fallen tree doesn’t really die when it topples over. A redwood continues for centuries to give life, even in its decay.
THE NEWS
All the links…
Nine classic Ukrainian films for your consideration.
A playlist of emerging Ukrainian musicians. (via Today in Tabs.)
The war in Ukraine is a climate story. One that should be prompt us, as Sammy Roth writes, to accelerate the global transition away from fossil fuels.
Redwood tree yoga pants. (Nope.)
Finally, maybe like me you have been wondering whether it’s appropriate during a war to write about your vacation, or post your tree photos on Instagram. My short answer? To be human is experience the constant juxtaposition of suffering and the sublime. And when I can, I will use what little platform I have to spread peace. Kate Lindsay explains it well here: “There’s not much else I can do with my life other than keep living it, online and off, and trust I know when my voice is needed and when it’s not.”
This makes me miss living near redwoods in Santa Cruz! Thanks for your advice in the last section—I have been struggling with whether to post anything happy or beautiful on my platform given the horrific war underway.
Lovely piece, and beautiful photos!