I stopped by Humboldt Redwoods State Park for a quick 45 minute visit before heading to work yesterday morning. I just wanted to get used to walking around the forest again. Immediately, I regretted that I forgot to bring my boots, as there was a lot of moisture on the ground, despite the fact that it has rained little so far this year. Located a couple of giants in this particular spot. Will have to measure a circumference of the above tree, I'd guess it's in the 45 foot range. A real beast of a tree.
Immediately I was struck how the redwood forest would not seem to be an ideal place to live if I had to camp outside on a regular basis. In Montgomery Woods, I read a plaque that mentioned the Pomo did not spend much time in the redwoods, instead found most of what they needed in the oak woodland valley areas. There just weren't enough resources to justify living in the forests. It's also much warmer and drier in those areas, a place I would probably rather be if I were living outside constantly as well.
It's interesting to think that although native groups like the Pomo did not find it necessary to utilize the redwoods as much, our current culture probably would not exist the way it does today without cutting down almost every large redwood that was still alive in the 19th and 20th century.
Yesterday was another nice reintroduction into this amazing forest of ours.
