Drizzle, drizzle, and cloudy skies, Redwood National Park, CA 5-31

We left Crater Lake in sunshine but the clouds became heavy and the drizzle began as we headed to Redwood National Park just south of the Oregon line in northern California. That's to be expected as we're going to be camping in the rain forest along the Smith River where some of the tallest trees in the world, the Coastal Redwoods, live.



Ally has never seen trees this tall so it's quite an experience to be camped among these giants. I'm glad it's not windy today. I'd hate to think of a broken branch falling from the tree canopy.



Someone has left a campsite full of trash. We don't see this often. One of the things the parks ask of Junior Rangers is to pick up trash when they see it. So, Ally and her assistant are doing their job.














There are beautiful rhododendron and mosses hanging from the trees. They love this moist, shady environment.



Ally has a keen eye for the little things in life. That snail was lucky that she saw it before I stepped on it. Can you find it in this photo?


We had a grand time watching it move slowly across the trail. It's really beautiful don't you think?


The Smith River rolls by the campground amid the lush green foliage.




Here comes another Junior Ranger patch to be sewn on that jacket.



After earning her Junior Ranger badge we took the time to hike through the Simpson-Reed Grove of ancient trees. It's fun to walk among these giants.



These trees make you feel really small. Not only are they huge but many are over a thousand years old. That's hard to comprehend.




Doesn't this look like an inviting trail?





It did to Ally, so off she went.




Here's a tree that is growing on both sides of the trail...




...and here's a downed tree, "nurse log", providing nutrients for young trees.



Eventually the "nurse log" rots away and the young tree stands on its own.




These are very cool "shelf fungi".





One of the reasons the Coastal Redwoods are able to live to be so old is their ability to resist fire. Another reason is that some of them are protected from logging as these trees in Redwood National Park.