The week I spent in the Redwood forests was incredible! I went hiking, river rafting, and even got to climb a redwood, with harnesses and supervision, of course. The most outstanding experience, however, was I discovered that a settler had carved a house in General Sherman.
While I was hiking along one of the trails in the Redwood Forest, I stumbled upon a hidden path. I had extra time ,so I took a detour and followed the path. After walking for fifteen minutes or so, I came to the foot of the largest tree I had ever seen. An old, rusty, and faded tag at eye level read “WELCOME, GENERAL SHERMAN”. That’s odd, I thought to myself, there’s no sign of any villages for miles. This part of the forest isn’t near any mainstream trails, either. …show more content…
“Wait” it said, “don’t leave”. I looked around to find no one. ‘Maybe it was my imagination’ I thought to myself, however, as soon as I took one step, I heard the voice again. I turned around and saw a deep hole in the ground at the foot of the large tree. As I got closer, I spotted a staircase that led to a door hidden amongst the roots of General Sherman. Curiously, I knocked on the door, and it swung open immediately. Now that I think about it, I find it odd that I never wondered who had opened the door. Despite this, what I saw was definitely unbelievable.
Behind the door laid a brightly lit, circular room with a spiral staircase in the center of it. This room had all the technology of a modern home, but looked so rustic I couldn’t tell how long it had been there. On the second floor of the house, there were two bedrooms, as well as what I assumed was a bathroom; I couldn't tell because the door was shut.
Against one of the walls was an almost unrecognizable ladder, leading to a small square opening, just big enough for a person to pass through, in the ceiling. The third and final floor of this ornately carved house came to a point as a ceiling. This attic, of sorts, was the only room with windows, probably because they were too high up for any passersby to notice. As soon as I came to my senses, I realized that someone was talking to …show more content…
In 1918, Save-the-Redwoods League was established to prevent further logging, as well as to rehabilitate the land. It will still take 50 years to fully recover from logging, and 250 years for newly planted saplings to grow to half size.
Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek Redwood state parks were opened in the 1920s, and Congress opened the Redwood National Forest in 1968. This park totaled a stunning 58,000 acres of redwood forests. Since then, it has gained 48,000 extra acres. Some activities available are camping and hiking.
I am confident I learned my facts from the best people around, given the Sherman family has been around to see all of it. As it turns out, inside the General Sherman Redwood tree, time stays the same. No matter what year it is in California, it will always be 1805 in the tree. It’s unbelievable how this works, I was planning on asking the family, but I ran out of time too quickly! Maybe next time I find myself in their neck of the woods, I’ll return to ask
While I was hiking along one of the trails in the Redwood Forest, I stumbled upon a hidden path. I had extra time ,so I took a detour and followed the path. After walking for fifteen minutes or so, I came to the foot of the largest tree I had ever seen. An old, rusty, and faded tag at eye level read “WELCOME, GENERAL SHERMAN”. That’s odd, I thought to myself, there’s no sign of any villages for miles. This part of the forest isn’t near any mainstream trails, either. …show more content…
“Wait” it said, “don’t leave”. I looked around to find no one. ‘Maybe it was my imagination’ I thought to myself, however, as soon as I took one step, I heard the voice again. I turned around and saw a deep hole in the ground at the foot of the large tree. As I got closer, I spotted a staircase that led to a door hidden amongst the roots of General Sherman. Curiously, I knocked on the door, and it swung open immediately. Now that I think about it, I find it odd that I never wondered who had opened the door. Despite this, what I saw was definitely unbelievable.
Behind the door laid a brightly lit, circular room with a spiral staircase in the center of it. This room had all the technology of a modern home, but looked so rustic I couldn’t tell how long it had been there. On the second floor of the house, there were two bedrooms, as well as what I assumed was a bathroom; I couldn't tell because the door was shut.
Against one of the walls was an almost unrecognizable ladder, leading to a small square opening, just big enough for a person to pass through, in the ceiling. The third and final floor of this ornately carved house came to a point as a ceiling. This attic, of sorts, was the only room with windows, probably because they were too high up for any passersby to notice. As soon as I came to my senses, I realized that someone was talking to …show more content…
In 1918, Save-the-Redwoods League was established to prevent further logging, as well as to rehabilitate the land. It will still take 50 years to fully recover from logging, and 250 years for newly planted saplings to grow to half size.
Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek Redwood state parks were opened in the 1920s, and Congress opened the Redwood National Forest in 1968. This park totaled a stunning 58,000 acres of redwood forests. Since then, it has gained 48,000 extra acres. Some activities available are camping and hiking.
I am confident I learned my facts from the best people around, given the Sherman family has been around to see all of it. As it turns out, inside the General Sherman Redwood tree, time stays the same. No matter what year it is in California, it will always be 1805 in the tree. It’s unbelievable how this works, I was planning on asking the family, but I ran out of time too quickly! Maybe next time I find myself in their neck of the woods, I’ll return to ask