“To
experience sublime natural beauty is to confront the total inadequacy of
language to describe what you see. Words cannot convey the scale of a view that
is so stunning it is felt.”
~ Eleanor Catton
California, I was shown something that was so sublime and beautiful that the image of it is embedded in my memory and my soul.
If you love trees and nature then the Redwoods are a must-visit to experience their majesty, beauty, and subtle energies. These are ancient trees, that can reach the height of a thirty-story building. Their trunks can be as wide as twenty-seven feet. They are ancient in that their age can be as long as two thousand years.
"Awe" is one of the keywords in my book 333 Keywords to Change Your Life. I was in a state of awe during the entire time with the Redwoods but also especially during two experiences.
The first experience was in the early morning. There is a one-lane dirt road that goes through the park and if you get there early enough before any other cars or people, you have the experience of being alone with this forest without other human distractions. At one point on the road, I had to pull over and just walk towards one particular tree on the side of the road. The sunlight was coming through the upper canopy of the trees as rays of light that seemed like divine light. The experience was like I was in an ancient primeval forest, and I felt the presence of the trees in silence, and some unique energies that I have never felt before that cannot be described in words. It was a stunning experience.
The second experience happened on the “Boy Scout Trail”, a hike on what has been called one of the most pristine old growth hiking trails on the planet. At one point my attention was drawn to a tree off of the trail. The trunk of the tree had a shape that was a profile of a Native American, and upon seeing it, I could not help but feel a whole range of mixed emotions. It was not carved by human hands, as it was an integrated part of the thick bark that the Redwoods are known for, which also takes various shapes with burls and natural
changes. The eyes and eyelids, nose, mouth and chin are all there. It is an amazing display of nature that has a message for anyone who sees it. That message may vary for each person. For me it was in retrospect the deep connections that we have to both ancient trees and ancient humanity, and in this area, in particular, it is sacred, and a reminder of the love and respect that we have for the Earth. The ancient Redwoods spoke to me in the deep and profound silence. And I am still listening.