Survivor

We hiked up some of the Wahkeena Falls Trail today, past Fairy Falls and up to the Devil's Rest junction. It's a lovely hike that winds through a very narrow canyon and has some beautiful features. We decided to come back down the Vista Point trail, which we had never ventured, and I wish I'd had my real camera today. It was sunny and lovely and mossy the whole hike. Had we been prepared, we would have stuck it out for a couple of extra miles up to Devil's Rest, but a seven-mile hike wasn't in the cards today.

While descending from Vista Point, we came upon the biggest tree I've ever seen in my entire life. No joke. Now, I've never seen the Redwoods of California, but I have to imagine this could rival some of the smaller ones. On top of it, half of the entire tree was charred black from a forest fire. I'm guessing it had to be more recent than the 1983 fire that killed Keith Lemmons, but wow. Between the char and the woodpecker holes, this old dame has seen quite a bit of action in her day. I'm going back for better photos soon.