Big Cedar Tree

I drove north on 101 on Monday afternoon, en route to Forks, WA. The initial spur of road, from I-5 due west to Aberdeen, is not particularly note-worthy, the towns small and unremarkable or larger and gawky like a teenager who hasn't yet gotten used to the 3 inches growth in his shins. But then you turn north, and meander -- I'm not sure why, but for a while you're inland surrounded by forest, and then for a while you're driving right along the coast, with crashing waves thundering behind tree-covered berms, not 40 yards from the road. And then for the last 30 miles to Forks you're headed inland through forest, driving parallel to the Olympic range of mountains.

(How cool! I was able to see snow-capped Mount Olympus in the distance much of yesterday, and dreamt of gods and dryads all night. When I encouraged my colleagues to come round an obstruction -- a stand of trees, of course -- to see Olympus and its neighbors shining there in the light, they complained about leaving their work. "Sure, but we can see them anytime," the unappreciative Minnesotans said. "Not after it starts raining," I warned. Indeed, this morning we woke to rain, and all day the mountains have been hidden by the heavy skies. I expect tonight I shall dream of Neptune's naiads instead.)

Returning to my story about the drive up. I passed a sign for "The Biggest Sitka Spruce" going too fast (and feeling too late) to stop. But when I saw the sign for "Big Cedar Tree 0.3 miles" I thought it close enough to take a peek. The road was only somewhat maintained, and headed off of 101 to the east. I came round the final bend to a huge mounded roundabout, with the sign pictured above at the far end.
I parked next to the fallen tree the Big Cedar -> was pointed towards, somewhat disappointed. Yes, it was a big tree, but not as big as many I've seen, and too bad! it had died and been chopped down. It struck me as odd they'd keep the sign up for a dead tree.

Then I noticed a pathway between the sign and the huge stump. This led about 50 steps into the forest behind -- and then I realized there was a big cedar back in the woods.


And I mean big. The gnarled and sinewed root bulb is much taller than me -- I can walk under that arching tendon of root, without stooping. A very friendly family of four could live in the harboring hole in the center (behind the straight lighter-colored bit you see in this photo). It took me 50 paces to walk around the base.

The Swiss Family Robinson would have a field day building a home in the straggly gapped teeth at the top. No gentle tapering tower of greenery here -- this old ent has been through some serious battles and has survived topping, either by man or gale force winds.

The photo on the left was taken standing on the far side of the Big Cedar, looking back towards the roundabout where the car was parked. The dark stump in the distance is the same one next to my car in the photo. It is taller than I am - it looks small because of its distance, but still I hope you get a sense of how really really big this cedar is.