Paul Stamets

Flowers in the Redwood Forest

 Redwood violet (above)

Here are a few new arrivals in the redwood forest this spring. Redwood violet is the first but I'm not sure what the other two are.

Ponderosa Pine

 The Ponderosa Pine is a tree that has been growing on me lately, no pun intended of course. Today I had to drive to a place called Hidden Valley for work, I have no idea where I was, other than I saw a forest of Ponderosa Pines and wanted to set the bar with a few measurements.

 These trees were fairly large, but I've seen larger ones while driving all around the county. Today I just had to stop since I had my measuring tape with me. I had time to measure about two trees before it got too dark.

 The bark on both trees had holes all over it. Woodpeckers? The photo below was taken on one of my trips towards Humboldt county. According to Michael Taylor's website, the tallest Ponderosa Pine comes in at 268.29 feet a tree in Southwest Oregon.

Mailliard Redwoods and Douglas Firs

 After speaking with Michael Taylor a couple of months ago, one of the places he suggested I check out was Mailliard Redwoods State Reserve since it's in Mendocino county. I had never heard of it before, and decided to check it out today. It's located several miles south of Hendy Woods, off Fish Rock Road, a few miles off the 128. Although the redwoods here are smaller, there were some impressive Douglas Firs growing here. The biggest I have seen since I started searching this winter.

 Just as I can now tell when a redwood will have a 40 foot circumference, ( a "Wow! automatically escapes the lips) I think the same can now be said of a Douglas Fir with a 20 foot cbh (circumference breast height.) If an automatic reaction occurs, it's worth measuring.

 I spent several hours combing the hillsides and slogging through the ravines. Unfortunately, looking for big trees is turning into an addiction. It's like I need to get a fix after a few days of town life. Thankfully, there was plenty to see, experience, and enjoy today.

 It's funny, while struggling up the hillsides in Montgomery Woods yesterday, the thought popped in my mind  how I wished I had one of my hiking poles with me. Today, I rediscovered the joys of carrying a walking stick. It's been years since I carried one! The thought never occurred to me yesterday that all I had to do was find a staff on the ground! There is just something about a walking stick that a hiking pole does not have. I don't know what it is. I just feel more like a sage with a staff.

 The highlights of the day were finding the Douglas Firs, the California Nutmeg (see post below) and this one particular ancient redwood giant (pictured below). It had such a unique base, hollowed out by fire. I had to wonder if its days are numbered. As robust and alive as its crown appeared, it seemed as if the slightest nudge would topple the old beast.

After I had my fill, the day ended with one of the biggest turkey sandwiches I've ever eaten in my life from the market in Boonville. Another great day of redwood exploration.

Montgomery Woods

 I spent the weekend exploring a little more in Montgomery Woods on Saturday and Mailliard Redwoods State Reserve Sunday. Both days included exhausting bushwhacks. It was nice to see a lot of water flowing in Montgomery Woods yesterday. The winter storm that passed a few days ago seems to have left a lot of water in the grove.

 During my exploration of Montgomery Woods, I found an interesting spot way up on the mountainside. It was like a mini lost grove. There were some descent sized trees up there. Just before the ridge top was a shelf maybe a hundred yards long or so that held several large trees and a fern garden. It was really peaceful here. There was just the faint sound of trickling water, but otherwise very quiet, and very secluded.

 After spending some time measuring the circumferences of some of the trees there, I hiked up the remaining few hundred feet to the top. The Redwoods were replaced by oaks and prairie grass, and I had a nice view into one of the valley's below.

The tree above was one of the largest in the lost grove up on the hillside. An ancient giant with a cavernous base. After exhausting my curiosity, I headed back down and called it a day.

California Nutmeg

 Today I was introduced to a new tree. I visited Malliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve and spent several hours hiking through the park looking for big trees, mushrooms, and albinos. While hiking up one particular ravine, I kept getting pricked by something, although I didn't know what it was.

 I was mostly focusing on not breaking my legs while navigating up the treacherous ravine. Everything around me was green, so I didn't pay it any mind. It was more of a subconscious "Ow! What was that?" Then I'd continue upstream looking for redwoods.

 Then I noticed this awful smell that would meet my nostrils from time to time. Believe me, after all of these miles of hiking, I know my own body odors. This was something new and pungent. Again it drifted into my subconscious. Finally, near the end of my bushwhack, I saw a beautiful tree growing on a hillside that was unlike anything I'd seen before. It definitely wasn't a redwood, or a Douglas fir, although it had similar looking branches. The tree's shape was different, as well as the color of its bark. When I climbed up to investigate, I got pricked by its needles again. "Ow!" I wasn't sure if it was a fir of some type. After looking all over the ground for pine cones, all I saw was little acorn looking things, although there were no oaks nearby. "Maybe a squirrel brought them here," I thought. I couldn't see anything growing on its branches.

Well, after browsing through my California conifer book, I have discovered that this is the California nutmeg tree, otherwise known as the "stinking cedar." What I thought were acorns on the ground were actually nutmegs. In my book, the caption under the picture reads: "Though the 'stinking cedar' is not a large tree nor a common one, its stiff, prickly needles can make many instant impressions on the hapless visitor who stumbles upon it." Hapless visitor indeed.

Albino Redwood

I had a couple of hours to kill between work cases today, so I headed out into the redwoods to look for an albino during my lunch break. It was a surreal moment when lo and behold, lurking conveniently behind a medium aged redwood, an albino revealed itself.

 Who needs gold? Who needs silver? Who needs any man made riches when God, or Nature, or whatever a person wants to call it, kindly reveals its treasures, providing soul enriching nourishment. The albinos are out there to find, for anyone willing to spend time with the redwoods. We keep the locations secret. It's for the benefit of the trees.

 This albino was found purely by chance. There were just a few white branches sticking out of a mat of dead ones. It had a beautiful white top about 25 to 30 feet up the base of its host tree. It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp cold day in Northern California. The day after a major rain event. A great day to be alive.