Marvel #4: Worthy of Anyone's Bucket List

Awesome Trees

Friends and clients from other parts of the country or world often remark about our majestic big trees, and of course Oregon's state tree is the Douglas Fir, which grows to massive size.  But if you really want to put something worthy on your bucket list, go lie down on your back on a soft bed of redwood duff and gaze upward at a 300 foot tall giant swaying, moving, living and reaching to the sky.  It's truly unforgettable, even for a jaded and fortunate Oregonian.

These trees simply define "big".  Not counting the fascinating fungus that grow hundreds of acres large under a forest floor, Sequoia Gigantia grow to be the largest living thing on earth by volume, and Coastal Redwoods grow to be the tallest. 

So...I highly recommend that you and your family pick one of these and put a visit in your summer calendar...

This summer!

• Big Basin State Park near San Jose/Santa Cruz
• The largest tree by volume in the world, the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park
• The famous and oddly shaped Grizzly Giant tree in Yosemite National Park
• or within a shorter day's drive, in the northwestern corner of California, off Highway 101...a special place known as the Avenue of the Giants where yes, you really can see a road built through a tree.

For real tree lovers, I know you'll also enjoy this great photoessay by a couple trekking through redwood forest country.    

Sun, Stars and Sounds in the Woods

Last weekend I enjoyed a spectacularly good campout with Jacob, my 16 year old.  A Scout Camporee actually.  That's what we call our annual weekend of competition, camping, and shared Scout spirit among local troops.  Something like 400-500 participated.  There were contests with map and compass, plant identification, first aid (don't kill the patient), fire-starting, tower building (poles and lashings), and more.  We saw and heard many creatures, including frogs, owls and osprey, plus the beautiful Clackamas River. 

I'm glad and proud to report that Jacob's patrol won first place in fire-starting and so earned their second consecutive "Burning Man" award.  They also won a first place ribbon for the best and most stable tower built.  There was also a big trail repair service project for the state park so that visitors can enjoy the trails for another year. We did a good turn and left (hopefully) no trace other than footprints.

Usually Camporee means signing up for either mist or a microburst, but daytime temps hit 70 for the first time this year, which is unheard of.  We were treated to nighttime stars and temps near freezing.  Whatever the skies, I often think of our native brothers and sisters who lived on this beautiful land for millenia, with a deep respect.  The Boy Scouts seek to honor and preserve some of the spirit, skills and traditions of Native Americans in ceremonies, prayers, and in our calling to get close to, appreciate, and take care of the earth.  We camp, we use and care for the resources we find there, we listen for and share our time with creatures in the woods. 

Scouting isn't living off the land by any stretch of the imagination...but it definitely lets each new generation appreciate the land, and our walk on the earth in a way that most of modern life does not.  I love that.