At dusk, we stopped along our way to Tofino, parking at the signs marked 'Ancient Forest: Cathedral Grove'. At that time of night the moss ceremoniously swayed in the trees and the stumps cast shadow figures on the soil. Hushing our voices, we quietly tread along, listening to the faint voices carried on the breeze, admiring what we could see of the large dark masses and the grey light seeping in between.
It was a magical experience. That night we stayed nearby, in Port Alberni, and I insisted the next morning that we take our coffees and see all the old-growth again, in the early light.
It wasn't the same eerie, haunting feeling, of the night before, but much more fun. We intended to only stay for a few minutes, but ended up as children again, playing around for what must have been a couple of hours.
I pretended that I had grown up in that forest, and had only ever known cedar and redwood, moss and pine. Or that I should abandon the trip and find a way to live on the mountainside, building myself a canoe to paddle alongside the heritage trees.
And an 800 year old tree!
We eventually had to return to the road, so, I filled my jar with water from the stream, the most cold and crisp water, and tried to make it last the rest of the trip.
Also, the giveaway winner is Emily Sadowski ! Thank- you to everyone who entered! I hope to keep
giving away awesome handmade and crafted things in the future!
is that your boyfriend? :)
ReplyDeletehee, no, just a friend who traveled up with us to Tofino.
Deletethese photos are gorgeous!
ReplyDeletei came here initially from milla's blog and then saw you had commented on mine! i can't wait to read more :)
thanks! yes I love your blog!
DeleteYou are so blessed to be able to visit so many beautiful places.
ReplyDeleteMmm mhm I'm so often thankful
DeleteLove all your photos! They resemble here after all the rain we've had recently. That tree...oh my. And there is nothing like spring water; one of the main reasons we moved here :)
ReplyDeleteI think I might miss the spring water most!
DeleteI grew up on a family farm (8 generations of us) and spent most of my summers as a child amongst the hills and trees. Whilst they were not so lush as the one you visited, they were close enough to paradise for my siblings and myself...and all we drank during those warm summer days and nights was water from the many cold springs around the farm. When the days grew unbearably hot and humid three generations of the family decamped to the Great King spring which was a gushy spring that spread to around 1/3 of an acre. Too cold for any but the hottest of days, it was absolute heaven then.
ReplyDeleteThank you for prompting this sweet memory.
Oh, that's beautiful. I would have loved to grown up near cold springs - something about them feels very much like magic.
DeleteWow! That tree is amazing; I've never seen anything like it...except in Totoro haha. I will definitely mark this as a place to check out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Ahh I love Totoro! I should send you a photo of my last year's halloween costume, hee.
DeleteExquisite...I would find it hard to leave such a forest.
ReplyDeletexo, j
Amazing. I wanna be there. I wanna hug that tree, too!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! I too, went to Great Falls, DMV yesterday. There, I learned to distinguish for the first time, cedar and pine. Meditated in the crisp air from the rushing thundering water below, cedar and pine, smooth and needle, is like empathy and love. Distinctive differences. Send you love in Christ.
ReplyDelete