Jill's Journal: What a magnificent treasure! Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a place of absolute serenity, or at least it would be without three rowdy little ones. We spent the afternoon hiking the easy trails among the giant redwoods, many of which are up to 1,800 years old. With the exception of the trail that runs through it, the 40-acre, centuries-old redwood grove is said to have been unchanged for at least the last 200 years (when Mexico sold the land in a grant to an interested citizen).
The “Big Trees Grove” is strikingly peaceful, so incredibly tranquil. And the trees are so big they seem to defy the laws of nature. This snapshot of our two eldest gives a perspective on how gargantuan these trees are and how they dwarf everything around them.
This tree is one of the tallest in the park. With a base of over 17 feet wide, it stretches over 270 feet into the sky. For comparison, that’s about as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
Trees add another ring to their trunks yearly, so they’re among the easiest things on earth to date. This particular redwood trunk was about 2,200 years old when it fell in 1934. It was already pushing three centuries old when Jesus was born! That’s not far removed from the time when Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire (thank you, 1st grade history).
2 comments:
I've always wanted to go to see these massive trees. I don't think pictures can do it justice, to actually seeing them. =)
Your pictures are wonderful, helping us to imagine their greatness!
Gretch, I think you need to come travel full-time too! You would love it. :) And you're right, pictures can't do these trees justice. They're utterly amazing. And by the way, thank you so much for being such a faithful commenter. We love that (and you!).
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