Touching the Sky

No surprise that we awoke in the midst of a think blanket of fog. We decided to make the best of it and went out to explore. Our first stop was Fern Canyon north of Orick. The way to the park was a dirt road off the main highway. A dirt road that painted the vegetation a dirty tan color from all the vehicles passing by. The road resembles a slithering snake as it winds around the big redwood trees. After 8 miles of bouncing along we finally arrived at the base of the canyon.

As you start to walk up the canyon it seems to come to life with the wind blowing through the ferns. It's almost like they are reaching out to you as you pass by. The sound of the rolling creek is the only sound heard as you walk along the wet rocky canyon. The ferns thrive in the shadows of the giant trees and the moist fog that lingers around.
On our way back to the car the local inhabitants came out for lunch. These huge Elks look very intimidating with their pointy rack displayed proudly. That's close enough for me!

Climbing back out of the dirt road we found our way over to the Northern Redwood Park. This is home to one of the few virgin Redwood Forests. Here the trees have been standing for over 1,000 years and show their scars of ancient forest fires. The unpaved path leads you around this 2 miles of Redwood skyscrapers.

It's amazing to look at the base of these giant wood structures. How can a tree be that big around? Then, as you wrench your neck to look skyward for the top, you realize that the base is needed to support such a tall tree.

When you find a fallen giant you can begin to appreciate the size of these trees.

Hopefully in the next few pictures you will have a better idea of just how big these trees are.