On Tuesday, November 27, I left Grants Pass, Ore. and set my sights on Redwood State and National Parks. I had wanted to visit this park over the summer, but time got the better of me, so I had to get there on this trip.
Over the summer I had planned to do the eight-mile Redwood Creek trail to Tall Trees Grove, where the tallest trees in the world grow. I knew that I could get a backcountry permit and camp on the gravel beds along the creek. There is another way to Tall Trees Grove, which involves getting a permit with the combination for a locked gate that will take you the mile-and-a-half long Tall Trees Trail. Camping is not permitted within a quarter mile of the grove though, so you end up on the Redwood Creek Trail to camp anyway. Really, I wanted to go to the Tall Trees Grove.
On Tuesday, I rolled into Orick, Calif. around 2 p.m., and sunset was happening at 4:50 p.m. This was not enough time to do the eight mile hike, so I got the permit with the combination for the gate, a backcountry permit and a bear can and set off for the Tall Trees Trailhead. The ranger at the station was super helpful, letting me know exactly where I was allowed to camp, that I would have to ford Redwood Creek since the bridge had been taken out and that I could check out a bear can. He also double checked my backcountry camping knowledge, which I think is an excellent practice.
I stopped at the market on my way to the trailhead and picked up some extra food. I drove the 14 miles and set out. On the trail I met three young women who are also doing a cross-country road trip. They started in Denver and were looping to the West Coast, having already hit Crater Lake and now the Redwoods, before making their way back toward Maine and New Hampshire. Other than them, I didn’t see anyone else on the trail. I was a little disappointed that the trail guides were all gone. I would have loved to read the information that went with the numbered signs along the trail.
I got to the grove just around 4 p.m. and the light streaming through the trees was magnificent. The last half mile of the trail, which is in the actual grove, I spent with my eyes up and my mouth agape. Imagine: you stretch your arms out and the tree is more than twice as wide as that. Looking up, you can’t even see the tops of the trees. I knew I had little light left though, so I found my way to the creek, forded it and then found my way to the nearest gravel bed to make camp. I warmed up my soup, purified some water and when it was too dark to do much of anything, I loaded up the bear can, took it 100 yards away and settled in for the night. It was probably about 6 p.m.
I didn’t really want to carry my tent with me, so I opted for my bivy sack, which is pretty much a waterproof bag with mesh over the face part that the sleeping bag goes in. Around 3 a.m. it started to rain, so I just hunkered down into my sleeping bag and went back to sleep. I woke up again around 5:30 a.m. and decided that with the break in the rain it would be good to get going. I broke down my camp, made some oatmeal and started bushwhacking back to the trail around 6:30 a.m. It was super dark. I made it back to the trail and forded back across the creek by 7:15 a.m. and was once again in the Tall Trees Grove. Only this time, I knew that I was the only person there and the sun was just rising. The light fog in the grove was bathed in that blue-tinged pre-dawn light. I thought to myself as I looked up at these never-ending trunks, “This must be what it feels like to be born.” It was an incredible experience to be there and see that and have it just be for me. Just as I made it out of the grove, the rain picked up again.
As I continued back to my car, I came across 4 black-tail deer on the trail. This is becoming a trend for my hiking; I’ve met a doe on five hikes. I made it back to my car, went back to the ranger station to turn in the bear can and chatted with the ranger. I had heard lots of splashing in the creek during the night and wanted to know what kind of fish they could be. She let me know that the Coho Salmon are running and that they have been doing a lot of salmon restoration in the area, so she was really excited to hear and pass along my report of lots of splashing.
I then set out on US Highway 101, then took CA Highway 20 to meet up with another Peace Corps Thailand invitee in Sacramento. We grabbed a coffee and chatted for a couple hours before I set off for South Lake Tahoe. Other than the deluge of rain on the coast and the light rain near Tahoe, it was a great driving day weather wise.
Unfortunately, my camera battery died after I took just one picture on my hike. I will add it as soon as I find the cable for my camera.