The Redwoods – Spending time with the Wise Giants
June 9, 2012
First night in the Redwoods! What a day from Oregon to California. We woke up along the edge of the Silimus River to watch the US coast guards practice water rescues and boat drop-offs with a helicopter. What a life to live. I can’t imagine the rush felt from pulling someone from the grips of death back to safety.
Close but the roof just wouldn’t fit!
June 9, 2012
First night in the Redwoods! What a day from Oregon to California. We woke up along the edge of the Silimus River to watch the US coast guards practice water rescues and boat drop-offs with a helicopter. What a life to live. I can’t imagine the rush felt from pulling someone from the grips of death back to safety.
One of the more interesting views I have ever woken up to
Breakfast, stretch, prayer and then we headed off to rent some sandboards. The rental dude had a perfect creepy moustache, dyed black hair, and an overly-friendly demeanour at times, but he hooked us up and we got back into Lucy to roll over to Honeyman Park. The dunes there were magnificent to observe, constantly changing shape like the face of God staring at us. We decided to participate in the insane sport, strapped on wooden boards, and let gravity create our adrenaline rush. The sand was wet at the time, but normally when dry it supposedly rides like snow.
Saud fearlessly dropping in on his first hill!
It definitely didn’t feel like snow when we first tumbled into it, but going with Saud on his first sandboard adventure and observing his courage and intensity that motivated me down the hill is an image that I will never forget. After making the sinking hike back up the 250ft hill a few times, we had our fix and returned the boards so we could head off to our next adventure. 60 miles down the road was Winchester Bay, which has some of the most famous dunes in all of the Oregon Coast. The rental guy for the ATV was young, very chill and set us up with a four-wheeler that would take us on one of the wildest rides of our life! We decided to rent it for an hour for $75 and I had the honour of driving first, while Saud captured the event on the GOPRO.
As if roaming a foreign planet each dune was a mystery to explore
Instantly the horsepower took over our minds as we launched over hills, descending slowly down 300ft cliffs and narrowly escaping a few near tips. The view of the ocean from the top of the sprawling dunes gave the impression that we were transported to a foreign planet; planet FUNLAND. That hour flew by and we both looked over at each other several times as if to say “Is this really happening right now?” Thankfully we returned safely back to the parking lot as our guardian angels had been with us the whole time protecting us as we flirted with death. Next it was back to Lucy on the 101 South that was pouring rain, so we decided to take refuge in a State Park parking lot. Until tomorrow! Now, it’s time for dreamland.
June 10, 2012
First full day in the Redwoods and the mysterious giants overwhelmed us with their ancient presence.
We rolled into this parking spot at midnight and were stunned to wake up to this view
Sun rise….woke up on the cliff for Fajr with Saud…went back to dreamland, and then woke up again for a great yoga practice on the roof of Lucy while several whale enthusiasts took photos of the giant grey whales that were making brief appearances on the surface. Afterwards, we packed up and headed down the road to pick up some delicious smoked salmon, at which time a charming lady directed us to the drive-through tree.
There, we met an 80 year old woman who was very lively and had that instant essence of “grandma”. We were not able to fit Lucy through the tree, but truly enjoyed our time talking about this area which, she had called home for the past 50 years. She also shared with us her story of struggling to pay the bills to care for her quadriplegic husband whose care home costs were $176 per day. What a messed up society we live in where this type of expense is not covered, and yet they waste trillions on war. She directed us to the Prairie Creek campground in the Redwoods that we were to call home that night. After driving around in circles endlessly looking for a good site, water, and firewood, we settled in and finally were able to enjoy the evening in one of the most famous forests in the world.
The Corkscrew
There were a few trees today that stood out among the rest, including the Corkscrew tree that had randomly wound several trunks together. Standing in the center with Saud, we were privileged to experience one of those Holy Moments, just taking in the unique essence of creation. Next was the Big Tree that stood 300ft tall and 58ft across and was 1500 years old. We talked about what it would be like if the tree could communicate with us all that it has witnessed. What a story we could learn from.
The next day we planned for a day of silent prayer, hiking through the forest and meditating. It’s such a blessing to be with a friend who is down for everything from Zoo Bomb to expanding our spiritual journey in interesting and often uncomfortable ways, but together it’s always fun.
Good night!
June 10, 2012
What a day to remember in the Redwoods! We woke up at 5am before sunrise for our morning routine, but we decided to enjoy it in silence. Definitely a weird feeling to not converse with Saud, but since we had established a good routine it was easy eating breakfast and cleaning up before we left in to the wild. The day was also made more of a challenge because we decided to fast during the hike. I had never fasted before, and this practice definitely makes you rely harder on your internal strength to make it through the journey.
Our hike was one of the longest and most beautiful day’s of my life. We entered on Brown’s trail starting at the big tree, and from there the magnificent giants entertained us along the trek. Observing these beasts that stretch to the heavens makes us realize our humanness. The ego often loves to bask in it’s importance, but surrounded by thousand-year-old giants keeps this internal voice in check. There was literally no end to the photos that we wanted to capture, but since a no-camera rule was part of the pledge for silence, our visual memories were forced to retain the beautiful essence for us. During the trek from Browns trail to Rhododendron and finishing on Cathedral, there were four 1-hour focused meditation breaks. This time completely silent gave an opportunity for those rare Zen moments filled with the buzzing of bees, songs of birds and melodic rush of streams. The canopy of trees shielded us from the scorching sun and gave the temporary dream that we could call this paradise home, with some foraging practice and a makeshift shelter. The trail weaved under fallen giants who had been victim to storms and through others that had such large openings, allowing easy passage through their gigantic trunks. Standing inside the black scorched trees that were completely hollowed out from a lightening strike reminded me that nature acts in random and violent ways, and every moment is one to be mindful of the many dangers of the world. This forest, the world-famous Redwoods, is one that everyone should visit if given the opportunity. When the sunrays shine between the massive trunks, creating a majestic scene, there is nowhere else on the planet that I would rather be. After completing the 10-hour journey (six hiking and four meditating) we returned to watch a fire for the completion of our silent fast at 9pm. The closer that I come in contact with nature, I realize that spending as much time as possible with the natural creations of this world is one of the easiest ways for me to remember how blessed I am to be a witness.
The drive through tree stop had even converted an old stump into their outhouse.