Into the Redwoods
At the beginning of October, my life-long desire to see and spend time with the iconic Redwood trees was at last fulfilled. And they did not disappoint. I’ve been trying to find the words to describe my experience of them ever since. Unsuccessfully. They are beyond words. Photos don’t come near doing them justice either. But I feel compelled to make a ‘feeble attempt at it’ (as my father would say).
These breathtaking Redwood beings. How they exude peace and power. Rugged wild & gentle wisdom—and they’ll pass it to us if we will receive. Generous beings. Stalwart. Resolute. Straight & True. Beyond Confident. Unerring in their mission to connect Earth & Sky.
These are the words that come to me—these same words describe my feelings for all trees, but somehow they were magnified and thrust so strongly to the forefront of my awareness whilst among the Redwoods.
Curious how these trees felt masculine to me. They emanated the best beauty of the masculine—masculinity at it’s highest most glorious manifestation. Our Western Red Cedars, the dominant trees in our forests here at home in the Inland Temperate Rainforest and in our Coastal Rainforests, have always felt feminine to me—Mother Cedar; but it was magnificent maleness that the Redwoods emanated. Stalwart and resolute (these are the two words that resonate strongest with me). Builders. Protectors. The highest embodiment of Warrior energy. Yet the Peace felt among them was profound. Here we are again with the dichotomy felt in all forests—how they can both enliven and settle us, rejuvenate and relax us, excite and calm us, simultaneously.
Remarkable how my long-standing tiredness vanished while among the Redwood trees. On each of the three days that I got to spend time in their company, after about half an hour I felt my weariness magically melt away, replaced with a feeling of well-being reaching down into my bones and up lifting my spirits aloft.
As I entered the forest of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and first encountered thousand-year-old individuals, I burst into tears. It was the only appropriate response. I went and sat at the foot of one who called me over, and I sobbed; overcome by the beauty and the wonder of him. I sat in awe, in reverence, in gratitude that I could be so honoured.
I’ve learnt that long ago the Redwoods covered much of the entire surface of the Earth, hundreds of millions of years ago, and have been slowly retreating over the millennia. Now they are reduced to three species in three small forested areas: the Coast Redwoods of southern Oregon and Northern California, that I was lucky enough to get to see; the Giant Sequoias on the western slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada, that I hope yet to visit someday; and a small forest of Dawn Redwoods in Hubei province, China.
Primeval. The vast history feels tangible when you walk amongst these ancient beings. It overwhelms. It transports you back in time. A Tyrannosaur peering ‘round one of those massive trunks on the path ahead, up to his knees in the Western Sword Ferns that dominate the forest floor, would not seem out of place.
Magnificent. Primeval. Exuding peace and power. Rugged & wild, Gentle & wise. Generous. Resolute, Stalwart, Straight & True. Beyond Confident. Unerring in their mission to connect Earth & Sky. These are the best words I can come up with—but they don’t come close to doing justice to these wonders of our world.
