Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Odd Things In the Forest



Some guys never get over being Tree Guys.


This was a practice session of yoga with walkie-talkies.


I'm not kidding.


Perhaps practicing Meadow Yoga with Helicopters.  Kai would have loved this.


Fascinated with where the Giants meet the Earth, I found that I took many photos of their beautiful feet.  Reminding me of elephant toes.


Each one individual.  Each so solid.  Grounded.


I suppose one could tell a lot about their unique personality.  Maybe.  


A tiny stream frolics over the boulder, as it makes its way down the mountain, through the Grove of Giants.


Last year the fire was right here.  Burnt her toes.

Have you ever heard of Julia Butterfly Hill?  She lived in a huge, old growth Redwood tree near the town where I was born in Northern California.  She was up, way up, on a platform built near the top of the tree.  She named the tree Luna.  Tonight I googled her, to find that soon after her negotiated truce to come down and to protect the tree, with the Pacific Lumber Co.,  that the tree was cut nearly through by chainsaw in 2001.  The Lumber Company, the foresters, the Humboldt State University biologists, and tree specialists all worked together to create a giant steel brace to save Luna.  The vandalizing logger has never been found, or charged.

I don't know why that story came up, except that I remember reading some of her writing.  She wrote of how she began to feel the tree's response to the weather, of how the Redwood seemed to relax into the storm rather than resist.  

Of course, if you have ever leaned into a tree you may have experience the deep comfort emanating from deep within its core.  Tree hugging is a direct route to Peace.

When Julia Butterfly Hill sat high in the Redwood,  forces were already well into play of economic doom for the area, for the whole country, really.  Corporate greed had come to Humboldt.  Her actions angered (infuriated) many.  I have heard it said that she didn't really stay up there all that time.   I don't know, I haven't even read her book in its entirety.  Of course, I love that she named the tree Luna. 



(Smile)

I admire Julia Butterfly Hill for taking a stand about something important.  The Old Growth Redwoods are important.  It took an act of crazy courage to bring the insanity of clear-cutting to a halt.  Humans need the wild things, including wild plants.  We need our ancient forests.  We need to stop destroying the amazing ecosystems which have flourished on the planet, in fact, made it a place where humans can survive.

I wonder how Luna the Tree is doing?  I wonder how the logger is doing?  I hope that some Peace has settled into all.

Let's dream of Balance for tonight.
xoxoLC






8 comments:

Jendocino said...

What a wonderful post! There truly is something sublime about being in the presence of these giants that is beyond mystical. It really makes me wonder how you could possibly cut one down in the first place.

Annie Jeffries said...

I checked wikipedia, Laura. It indicates that Luna tree lives on.

I've heard of Julie Hill and like all people who take an extreme stand on a principle, there are great extremes regarding the truth of their actions. Whatever the truth may be, she did something very courageous and trees stand today that might not otherwise be here.

N2 said...

And our trip to the woods goes on! Thanks for this bedtime story about giant tree toes and the lady butterfly who alighted high in the redwood tree.
xx00 N2

Merry ME said...

I think that I shall never see .....
as lovely as a giant tree with big feet! I am wishing for smellevision so I can get a whiff of the earthiness of it all.

We need more Luna's in the world.

Ms. Moon said...

I can't even imagine the sort of human being (and it could only be a human being) who could look at one of those trees and think, "I'm going to cut that mother down."
It makes me despair for our species.

Friko said...

Those tree feet are magnificent, what must the whole trees be like?

I wish we would take care of our special places, it has taken thousand of years to create them, yet mankind destroys them in the blink of an eye.

Elizabeth said...

Lovely -- and I have missed you!

Bimbimbie said...

Breathtaking - both the beauty of the trees and the will of some to destroy*!*

 
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