Today was my last day of hiking in Redwoods National and State Parks. It rained in the wee hours of the morning, but it stopped before I got up. When I looked at the weather forecast last night, rain wasn't predicted until this afternoon, which meant I should be able to get in some good morning hikes. The ground was wet and the sky was cloudy when I got up, but the blue peeking through the clouds gave me hope.
Before I drove to the redwoods, I drove to the lighthouse for one last look. The tide was higher, and sure enough, the lighthouse is on an island!
I wouldn't want to be walking on the pier when the tide is high, either! The wave in the photo below could sweep a person off.
The southern sections of the Redwoods Parks are south of the town of Klamath, which is where I took the opportunity to have a photo with Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox.
The sky was still cloudy, but no rain yet!
The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway runs down the middle of the southern area of the Redwoods Parks. It is a beautiful two lane road through the redwoods, with roadside parking at trailheads and parking at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center.
I stopped at the Big Tree trailhead and took a short hike on the trails. The "Big Tree" is 286 feet tall, 23.7 feet in diameter, 74.5 feet in circumference, and is estimated to be 1,500 years old.
Many of the leaves here haven't started changing to their autumn colors yet. Some of the ferns are almost as tall as I am!
The upright remains of trees that have broken off and are called snags. I saw a new tree growing out of the middle of a redwood snag. I think the tree might be a western hemlock. The roots of the new tree are clearly visible in the second photo below.
The branches of Western Hemlocks often hang down, as in the following photo.
As in other areas of old growth forest, I saw trees on the ground. I wondered what it sounds like when one of these giants comes crashing down, and how much it certainly shakes the earth.
Even smaller trees that fall and start decaying become nurseries for ferns, huckleberry, fungi, and moss.
I saw plenty of moss draped on trees and dripping moisture.
The undergrowth is very lush with redwood sorrel and ferns.
This black beauty was keeping sentinel in the parking lot.
The Prairie Creek Visitor Center has an interesting item on display: a section of tree that grew around a set of elk antlers. Evidently the elk got its head stuck in the crook of a madrone tree, and the tree grew around the antlers. I took a photo from the front and back of the object.
Several male elk were resting in a meadow across the street from the visitor center. Having a stag party, haha? I didn't know male elk hung out together.
The nature trail behind the visitor center is scenic. Some of the redwoods have quite deep grooves in their bark.
I was interested in the different textures of the moss on the redwood tree trunks. Some grow out from the surface, and others are flat and look like paint.
I asked a ranger what causes the foam in the creek. She said it is natural, and from algae.
I expected the nature trail to be a loop, but it dead ended at the creek. I and another hiker had to retrace our steps. A ranger later told me they have portable bridges but already removed them for the season. In the past, when heavy rain caused the creek to swell, some of the bridges were swept out to the ocean, so now the rangers remove the portable bridges at the end of summer.
I asked the rangers to identify the tree in the following photos. I took a photo of the trunk, cones, and leaves. The tree has moss and lichen on the trunk and branches, and reminds me trees I saw along one of the side roads in Olympic National Park. The rangers identified the tree as a Red Alder.
I had another ranger identify the following cone and needles. He identified both as Douglas fir, which are common in this forest.
I drove to the Ladybird Johnson Grove and followed a self guided tour on my National Park Service phone app. The grove is at a higher elevation, so the trees tend not to grow as large because of wind and lightning, which can knock them over.
A ranger I met on the trail told me he won't come up here during gale force winds because branches can snap off in the upper canopy, and kill you when they fall. They are called widow makers. When a tall redwood is being cut down, it vibrates as it is being cut, which can also cause widow makers to snap and fall. A lot of lumber men lost their lives that way.
I saw a freshly snapped redwood tree below the trail. The snag was standing, and the fallen log lay splintered on the ground.
I thought the following tree that had caught on fire would be dead, but it is still alive and gas green branches. Redwood trees are very fire resistant. Their thick bark has tannic acid, which makes them resistant to fire.
I found the following sign interesting. It states that Coastal Redwood trees are some of the tallest trees in the world, yet they come from one of the tiniest cones. From something so small, come these giants! That could be used in a motivational speech.
I drove to the Redwood Creek Overlook, and looked at the hills in the distance. The patches of lighter green are new growth trees where the area had been previously clearcut and is being restored. Based on what I see on the ground, a bear has also been visiting this overlook!
My final hike for the day was the Trillium Falls trail. The trail goes through a beautiful redwood forest. It is a loop trail, but I just had time to hike to the waterfall and back because I wanted to get to Eureka before dark. I met some people from New York along the trail, and one of them took my picture on the bridge in front of the Falls.
On my hike back to the trailhead, it finally started to rain. I was happy I got a full day of hiking and exploring the park before the rain started.
The rain was short lived, and only lasted about 15 minutes, but it is supposed to rain here most of the day tomorrow.
On my drive to Eureka, I made a couple of stops to admire the ocean views near Stone Lagoon and in the town of Trinidad.
Eureka has some nice murals in town. Here is one of them.
Happy Halloween!! I saw some people doing last minute shopping in their costumes at the grocery store. 👻🎃
I sat in my car at the curb outside the LDS church in Eureka tonight and used their wifi to write today's blog entry. There is a hospital at the end of the street. I'm going to sleep here.
