The Unmovable Giants of North America

 The Unmovable Giants of North America
 

There are giants in America! Some of them are thousands of years old, and most are hundreds of years old! These are the Sequoia trees of California and Oregon. Commonly known as “Redwood”, they’re the tallest living creatures in the world, reaching heights of 379.3 feet (115.61m)! The oldest tree in the world is the General Sherman, located in the Sequoia National Park and is estimated to be between 2300 and 2700 years old! Join me on a walk among these incredible, yet gentle, giants.
When travelling in a redwood forest, one must remember to look up from time to time. The trees feel they go up forever, ending in distant canopies. The sky, intermittently appear, looking more distant than you’ve ever seen them. The sight is breathtaking.

 

Standing at the feet of these giants, sensing the ancient life, flowing in their branches and bark, one cannot but feel less significant, yet inspired.
 

A resident of the forest, this grizzly bear is taking a break during the cold, foggy morning.
 

When visiting the Big Basin Redwood State Park, a trip to Sempervirens Falls is mandatory. The falls are magnificent, instilling a sense of calm on the viewer…
 

Overgrown with moss and nestled between ferns and creepers, this lone Big Leaf Maple tree looks it came out of a fairytale.
 

Early risers have a chance to see this amazing view. In the right time of day, the sun’s angle, combined with a light fog, provides the lucky hiker with such a sight.
 

If your hike lasts until the early evening, you can enjoy the spectacular colors the forest dons at sunset.
 

A stroll along the many paths might take you along a creek, decorated with natural bridges. Don’t be tempted to use them, as the wood is often rotten and will give way to your weight…
 

This man is climbing one of the biggest trees on the planet. The trees are located in “The Grove of Titans”, whose location is kept secret to minimize human visits to the area, and preserve the ecosystem.
 

The Stout Grove in the Jedediah Smith State Redwood Park is an incredible spot to visit. The 44-acre plot was donated by Mrs. Clara Stout in 1929 to the “Save the Redwoods” foundation.
 

The otherworldly Fern Canyon is a ravine, covered from top to bottom with ferns and creepers. Located in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, it was chosen by Steven Spielberg for the filming of Jurrasic Park: The Lost World.
 

These “bumps” on the tree trunks are tumors, caused by bacterial infections.
 

Walk along the James Irvine Trail in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park during sunset, and you might be lucky enough to experience this perfect moment…
 

The Lost Monarch, one of the ancient trees in The Grove of Titans. The third-largest tree in the world, its location is kept secret to preserve it.
 

This walkway, located in the Muir Woods National Monument, seems as if it was taken out of a fantasy book.
 

The Cathedral Tree in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park got its amazing, clustered shape thanks to the sequoia’s incredible will to survive. The original tree fell hundreds of years ago, but its limbs started growing up, eventually becoming the Cathedral Tree. All of the trees in the cluster are genetically identical!
 

Sometimes, getting some perspective is important… This picture was taken in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park in California, and the sheer size of these gigantic trees is enough to make your head spin…
 

The forest floor is often blanketed in old leaves, ferns and creepers. This beauty can also be quite treacherous, hiding branches, rocks and holes in the ground that can trip the unwary hiker.
 

Remember – I said you should look up once in a while…
 

Sometimes, no words are needed…
 

The Grove of Titans still bears the scars of century-old fires, but nature has a way of slowly healing.
 

Thought to be the most scenic redwood route in the world, Stout Grove is wonderfully photogenic.
 

As you stroll through the Muir Woods, you’ll probably come across this spectacular corner. Be sure to take your time and enjoy the earthly smell, the gorgeous green canopy and the silence of the woods.
 

Along the Prairie creek, you’ll find moss and trillium, who’s silky white bloom comes in the spring, turning the green bed into a virginal white dress…
 

John Muir once said: “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
 

 

The Giant Trees of Yosemite National Park

Most of Yosemite National Park is blanketed with vast forests, and with abundant precipitation and warm temperatures, these mountains are home to the largest trees in the world including the Giant Sequoias, the world's largest single trees by volume.

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