Solving Mysteries with Strangers

 The fog at Redwood National and State Parks carries with it an air of mystery. Maybe not for those who know what they are doing, but definitely for us! As we drove up the coast into the park, we were surprised to find a Redwood visitor center hidden in the dense northern air right between the beach and the forest. As it was nearing the late evening, we decided to skip it for the day and continued driving to our campsite in the Elk Prairie Redwood State campground. 

We were confused by the signage at the front gate, but as no one was there we figured all is well and we'd check back in at 8 the next morning. We slept in the most perfect campsite imaginable. Tucked away in a dense pocket of ferns, trees and huckleberry bushes providing plenty of privacy while still being in the center of the campground with quick access to the exit was spot 47: a dream come true. 

The next morning we sat around waiting to check in, which the rangers told us is of great importance so that they don't give away our reservation! With help from Camp Host Fred, we were able to skip the hassle and go on our hike without waiting around until 11 when the kiosk opened. 

But there lied the next mystery. What do people even do in the Redwoods? We looked at plenty of maps from the state park we were staying at and the park as a whole, but there just didn't seem to be much. We figured we had to be missing something, but went on the first hike we found anyway.

We stumbled around some criss-crossing trails in the redwood forest until we found ourselves in front of a sign for 'The Big Tree' and decided to check it out. Sure enough, there was a long line of tourists waiting to take their picture with a very large redwood tree and a ranger with some information about the forest. We did what any good tourist does and take a picture before continuing on a trail back to the visitor center as our hunger overtook us. 

You see, we had forgotten to go grocery shopping on our way into the park and after eating a mixture of cold grainy mashed potatoes and ketchup (for the flavor) the night before, we were sure we wouldn't last until our next drive. So we left the park, did some grocery shopping and hit the much larger beachy visitor center. Here, we talked to a very helpful ranger who pointed us to all the best sights and hikes across the park -- and told us how lucky we were to be camping where we did because we got automatic permits for the most popular destinations! Another win for our campsite! 

On our way back to the campsite we stopped by Fern Canyon, a canyon covered wall to wall in ferns! Despite it's somewhat generic name it was one of the coolest things we have seen across our entire trip. It was especially interesting to see after having been through several canyon-oriented parks in the south that were bone dry. 

Back at our campsite we met a couple who had originally lived in Illinois but now lived in a nearby town outside of the Redwoods. They mentioned that they go to the park for a couple weeks every summer and suggested that we do the hike out to Fern Canyon. We enjoyed our time there so much that the next day we did just that! 

The hike went through old redwood groves, and we got to see into the canyon from above before hiking down into it. The canyon is right on the beach so we ate lunch with the sound of crashing waves as our backdrop. 

Although not new to the beach scene, the northern coast was very different from anything we'd experienced before. The waves were bigger, the sand much rockier, and the fog and trees along the coast made it seem a bit eerie albeit beautiful. After lunch it was time to finish our hike and head back to our campsite for the evening. 

As we wrapped up our last night at the Redwoods we reflected on our experience. Despite our confusing start we came to really like the park. A place containing mossy forests with some of the tallest trees in the world AND a beach can leave quite the impression!