Among the Great Trees

 

Into the forest: Jedediah Smith State Park

Dude, now is the time for the Avatar soundtrack. I turned to Santin in the shotgun seat of the Toyota, gesturing to the iPod. The two lane paved road had climbed up out of Crescent City, California towards a misty ridgeline, meandering between old subdivisions and farm fields. Paul craned his head from the cramped backseat of the small pickup, trying to see out of the windows. The new growth forest had thinned and looming in front of us was a dark gateway of giant redwood trees.

We had meandered down the coast of Oregon for the past four days in the steady rain. It was Spring Break and not a lot of things were going right. I had unexpectedly broken up with my first and only girlfriend the night before we left. I walked out on the morning of our departure to find my brand new Tacoma missing from its usual parking spot.  In a panic, I had called everyone including my pissed off ex, only to find that it had been towed because my parking pass had fallen on the floor the night before. 250 dollars later, I recovered the truck but drained my Spring Break fund, so I was running a loan from my partners. My cell phone had decided to kick the bucket, so I was out of touch with the world. And it rained and rained and rained.

It does that on the Oregon Coast. Except, we were camping in a discount tent. Three full size guys in a half size truck with a dog, camping gear, guitars and three bikes was definitely wearing on us all. We took turns sitting sideways in the backseat, but the new clutch was causing problems. I cringed every time the new truck bucked and shuddered. Morale was low as we rolled into the coastal visitors center. As we made sandwiches on the tailgate, a ranger approached us. I braced myself for another lecture by some pompous ass, but instead, this gray haired public servant winked at us and asked if we wanted to see something mind blowing. 

He gave us directions out of town to a little known back access into the giant redwood groves. On our paper map he drew an X where we could camp within walking distance of the the old growth forest for free so long as we promised to clean up our trash. He also circled a section of forest we should avoid lest we have an uneasy interaction with the local marijuana growers. All nodding in agreement, he wished us a wonderful day. 

We had cued up the Avatar soundtrack a couple times on the trip, inspired by the orchestra to feel some extra wonder for the natural world, but it fell flat with the rain and clouds. But now, the clouds opened above us. The sun set over the Pacific Ocean behind us. Santin cued up the soundtrack and I let out the clutch. “Wait!” Paul yelped. “Let's get in the back of the truck!” So I braked while Paul and Santin climbed into the bed of the truck with the dog. I rolled all the windows down and turned the soundtrack up to full volume.

The road narrowed to a single lane, barely wide enough for the truck to crawl between trees as tall as skyscrapers. Like explorers of a new world, we crept through the ancient forest in awe, leaning out from the truck and gazing upwards in sheer wonder. The Avatar soundtrack transported us to a new world, barely touched by human hands. Birds flitted through the branches. Golden light slashed across the canopy. We were speechless. 

We spent two nights camped in the Redwoods, wandering on foot or bicycle back through the groves. We would go on to numerous other Redwood groves over the next five days, but the first experience was haunting, a memory unforgettable for a lifetime. For me, all the problems I had left behind were meaningless for a week. All that mattered was the time spent among the great trees.

Go hug a tree!

Song of the Post: Bioluminescence of the Night: James Horner