Redwood National and State Parks

The Redwoods were wet, foggy, cold, and absolutely beautiful.  The first night I camped on Clam Beach.  The fog on the beach was thick, leading to a pretty eerie feeling.  It did let up for a few minutes when the sun set, and the sky lit up with some brilliant pinks before the sun disappeared again below the horizon.  Of course, I didn't have my camera. 

Wednesday morning I arrived at the ranger station early to obtain a permit to walk into Tall Trees Grove.  It was definitely worth it, and since I was one of the first people in the grove, I had it all to myself for the first couple of hours.  To me, hearing nature is almost as important as seeing it.  I was able to sit still and just listen to the rain dripping through the canopy above, the frogs croaking, etc.

Okay, get ready for three days worth of photos of trees.

It amazes me that the trees which are hollowed by wildfires remain standing (and living).  The photo below is from inside one of those burned trees.

I really like the mossy trees.

Redwoods.  They're really big.

After walking through Tall Trees and Lady Bird Johnson Groves, I wandered north to find a camping spot.  I first stopped at Elk Grove (aptly named-- see below), but they were full.

I ended up finding a lovely area further north to put my tent, and then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the trails near there.

I love how there's a tiny tree sprouting out of that big stump.

Tired of the dampness, I was heading back to camp when I paused to take a photo of nearby tree.  I saw something move near me, and look over to see a deer munching on ferns not ten feet away from me.  I stood perfectly still, kind of in awe of how close I was to him.  He then proceeded to come up onto the trail to check me out!  I still had the camera in hand, so I snapped this photo of him.  I hate that it's a bit blurry because by then he was nearly in arm's length of me.  I could actually hear him sniffing me.

Guess he didn't like what he smelled because he then ran off.  But for about 15 seconds, it was the coolest thing ever.  I continue to not understand hunters.