Montgomery Woods

I had half the day off from work yesterday so I jumped at the chance to do some exploring near Montgomery Woods. There was one major section that I wanted to explore outside of the park in the hopes of finding the "ghost of Montgomery" if it actually exists. No luck once again. It was a beautiful day of exploration nonetheless.

The best way to describe the hike was "lush." Lots of colors, a feast for the senses. I found another knobby giant growing in a tiny grove like area. There were several large trees growing here, easily missed by most visitors to the park. I stopped for lunch facing the knobby giant, and relished the quiet and solitude.

I had to remind myself today, that you only get one chance to see something for the first time. Sometimes, it's very easy to take this idea for granted. This particular section was thoroughly enjoyable, I tried to savor the joy of exploration.

The "ghost of Montgomery" may be out there still. I've spent many hours now looking for it and have come up empty. After looking through most of the obvious places and many of the not so obvious, it may just have to be a  future chance encounter, or none at all. I'm just grateful for the chance to spend time with this amazing forest.

Van Damne State Park and Western Hemlock

Two Western Hemlock Trees (above)
I decided to go for a hike in Van Damne State Park along the Mendocino Coast after work yesterday afternoon. It's been a while since I've hiked here, and I was curious what I might find this time around. In my mind, I was going to find some large redwoods that I had missed before. However, that was not the case. In fact, I was very surprised how small the redwoods are here. It's definitely a second or third generation forest, all the monster redwoods have been logged and removed.

Western Hemlock (above)
Nonetheless, it's an exceptional forest in my opinion. While hiking along the trail, I noticed a tiny jelly bean sized pine cone that I've never seen before. After looking around for a minute and seeing only redwoods and Douglas firs, I saw the bark of a tree 20 feet up the hill that was new to me. There were many more of these small cones the closer I got to the tree. I recognized the roots from my California conifer book and suspected it was my first positive ID of the Western Hemlock. After taking a few photos and putting a few cones in my pocket, the identification matched my book when I got home. It's a beautiful tree.

 For all intents and purposes, this seems to be a very healthy forest. There were many large Douglas firs and Grand Firs mixed amongst the redwoods. Lobaria, and other lichens adorned the ground, blown down from upper branches. Vegetation was lush, fungi was ever present, and it felt like a rainforest. I did a little bushwhacking, but quickly returned to the trail after realizing that I did not have enough time, nor the will power to struggle through the underbrush.

 The Northern California Coast continues to get pummeled by storms this month, and more rain is expected the remainder of this week. Streams and rivers seem to be completely swollen at the moment. Better late than never I guess.

 I took a couple measurements as well. Above was a giant old Douglas Fir growing on a hillside.

Measured my first Grand Fir with a circumference at breast height of 14 feet, 8 inches. The tree had poison oak vines growing along the side, as well as snails climbing up and down the trunk. After a three hour walk, I had to head home and call it a day.

Lobaria and Pseudocyphellaria

 Lobaria (above)
I like how these lichen are described as indicators of ecosystem health, only to be found in old growth forests. How long does a forest need to exist before the lobaria arrive?

Pseudocyphellaria (above) 
Found near Montgomery Woods.

Tree Hunting

 I took a drive "over the mountain" as the locals say around here, to do some tree hunting. Storm after storm continues to arrive here in Northern California. Seems we've had a lot of rain this month. I couldn't stay inside any longer and had to get back out into the forest. There was snow in the higher elevations this morning and even a little in the redwood forest.

 I spent most of the day bushwhacking around, looking for big trees, new trees, and albinos. The albino ghosts have kept hidden for now, perhaps I just got lucky last month.

 Found some more California nutmeg trees (above). This time, I could see the tiny nutmegs beginning to grow on the branches.

 Once again, there was plenty of lichen lying on the forest floor, blown from the upper branches of the redwoods. I think I read somewhere that these serve as fertilizer for the forest once they blow off, although I'm not 100% certain.

 There is nothing like coming across an unexpected giant. This ancient redwood was the largest tree I found all day. Once I stood inside the cave and looked up, there was a gaping hole at the top. This tree's main trunk seemed to be completely missing 100 feet up or so, but enormous reiterated trunks had grown along the sides. It was a magnificent specimen.

 I found this pine cone with a mushroom growing out the top. There were trees here that looked different from any I've noticed before. I can not tell if the above cone is from a Douglas fir or not, although it looks similar. I also could not tell if the trees were Douglas firs or something else.

 This massive wall of wood was an exciting find. Four redwood trees mashed together. It was amazingly skinny when I walked to the side to take a look.

I also found this massive Douglas fir growing on the top hill I was on. There was debris from the tree all over the place, massive chunks of bark and branches that had fallen from above. The tree looked like it might be in its final days. Before the day was over, I was retracing my steps and heard a loud crash and snarling noises. It scared the heck out of me, as I saw a large beast running through the forest with what appeared to be mountain lion colors, however I saw no tail on it. After freezing for a minute, I began walking again, and about 30 feet in front of me, I saw what looked like a giant black pig sprint along an old logging road right in front of me. Supposedly they are fairly common, but its the first I've seen during my hikes.

Grand Fir

 I came across what I believe is the grand fir today while doing some forest exploration. This time, there were plenty of cones on the ground to help with the identification.

This tree was found near the coast, along with redwoods and Douglas firs. A pretty impressive tree in its own right.

Montgomery Woods

 It's been raining off and on for the last two weeks it seems. It's good to get some much needed rainfall after a dry fall and winter. I visited Montgomery Woods on Sunday despite fighting off a nasty, lingering cold. Before reaching the redwood grove, I was surprised to see some snow on the top of the mountain, dusting the distant tops of the trees.

 There was a lot of water flowing through the grove, the most I've ever seen. The trail was covered with flowing water for the most part. There were a lot of trillium in bloom.

 I had to stop by and say hello to my tree friend "Gnarles." Spent more time looking for the "ghost of Montgomery," still no luck.

 I came across some more logging equipment, at least that's what I think this is. Also found a pretty cool tree house some hermit was living in. It was basically a burned out old redwood stump, with a converted fire place and chimney coming out the top, with shelves and old bedding on the inside.

The calypso orchids are starting to bloom on the redwood forest floor now. I believe they are also called pink lady slipper as well.

 Also, there was a lot of different lichens lying on the ground, blown off from the upper branches. It was pretty windy on Sunday, and I watched some of the trees bend in a variety of ways. As far as I could tell, all of the old giants survived this weeks winter storm.

Redwood Fairy Ring

If the redwoods have one thing going for them in their battle for survival, it's their ability to sprout new trees off the roots of previously logged or burned stumps. After a short time, each tree develops its own root system. These growths are referred to as "redwood fairy rings." This particular cluster was found in a logged section of forest near Montgomery Woods.