Among the Ancient Ones: Redwood National Park

Trying to describe the enormity, majesty and intimacy of walking among the Redwoods leaves me speechless. These trees are the oldest trees on the planet, thousands of years old. There are no words in our limited language to capture the exquisite beauty and power of these living legends. Photography doesn't begin to do them justice either. It's impossible to grasp how spectacular they are unless you are face-to-face, skin to bark, with them. For me, it was a spiritual experience to walk on this sacred ground, with trees who have graced this earth for so long. It took me 2 hours to complete a 3 mile hike, because I felt compelled to touch each tree along the path and tell it how beautiful it was. I soon realized that this would mean I would see nothing else on my trip. Towards the end of my hike, I did stop again to touch trees I was drawn to and said a brief prayer for people in my life. As many of you know, my connection to God has grown immensely over the last year, and being in nature is often where I feel that connection most strongly. There is no man-made church that can compare to a cathedral of Redwoods.