Cathedral Grove

For shame. This has been lying in my post queue way to long. Sorry big, beautiful 600 year old trees. Yes, one of those guys was alive and well when Christopher Columbus was sailing across the ocean blue. That one below I believe.  This is Cathedral Grove which the highway from Nanaimo to Port Alberni and the Pacific Rim splits in half.  Its very accessible on both sides of the road.  It makes it crowded but what can you do.

There are only a few stands of these enourmous old growth trees left in British Columbia.  Most are not protected. These were logged once upon a time as many stumps still bear the marks of spring boards.  We are lucky that so many in this area were spared.  It is important to know that logging continues right next to these protected areas.  The surveyors are very good and preservering sightlines from highways.  Sometime walk off the number 1 highway west of Banff (don't get lost). Very quickly you will likely find yourself in either a block surveyed for cutting or the junk left behind.  All those little roads with the radio numbers are logging roads.

Its very intimidating to look up and find yourself unable to really make out the topds of the trees.  I think it would be cool to be a bird or a squirrel and be able to go from the forest floor to the canopy in seconds.  Oh that gives me a GoPro idea. I wander if I can attach one to a bow and arrow... Stand by for that!