Redwoods

12 miles north of San Francisco sit the very easily accessible Muir Woods. This is not so much a hiking opportunity but rather an excuse to get up close to possibly the most beautiful natural phenomenon on the West Coast of the United States; the Sequoia Sempervirens, or Redwoods.

Unfortunately, due to the short-sighted impact that human industry has inflicted on its natural environment, the once estimated 2 million acres of Redwood forests have been decimated. However, in little pockets of perfect and genuinely awesome beauty, sit protected clusters of these ancient trees, as monuments to what once was.

To an Englishman, these immense trees hold a particular hypnotic power. They are huge. They dwarf anything native to the British Isles and by doing so they leave my lower jaw hanging in recognition. As I look up into their thick canopy, I can barely see the intense sun as it attempts to penetrate. To say that I am impressed by these large, powerful plants would be an understatement.






© All Images By Paul
.