Days 15-18: Redwood National and State Parks

Monday, May 10th - Thursday, May 13th

• Thankfully, our adventure did not have to end as a result of Jennifer's cracked tooth. We were able to find a dentist in Crescent City that bonded the chipped portion of the crown back on - now if it will just hold on until June.

• The rainy weather on Sunday night did not put us in high spirits for our next few nights of camping. On Monday afternoon, we hesitatingly sat in the car at the trailhead of our planned hike into the backcountry. I looked at the cloudy skies and the 41 degree temperature reading on the Mazda and was not particularly thrilled about our prospects. Nonetheless, we courageously strapped on our backpacks and hiked a few miles down to Redwood Creek, where we actually saw some sun. We camped along the river the next 2 nights and enjoyed the solitude of the backcountry.

• On Tuesday we did a day hike of around 6 miles and visited the Tall Trees Grove - home of some of the oldest and tallest Redwoods around (600 to 1000 years, 320 to 360 feet). Wednesday we visited the Lady Bird Johnson Grove - where the national park was dedicated in 1968.

• Wednesday we drove on another dirt road to get out to the Gold Bluffs campground in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The Mazda was getting pretty dirty by this time. I enjoyed a 7-mile run through some trails, with the last mile barefoot on the beach. This may have had to do with the fact that I had just finished reading the book Born to Run. Or it may be that I just always wanted to run through the Redwoods.

• Thursday morning I woke up and opened the tent to see the back of a large animal next to the Mazda. I wondered if someone had brought a horse into the campground. Then the animal lifted up its head and showed off its huge antlers - it was just a massive elk foraging for breakfast in the bushes.

• Thursday we hiked about 8 miles (day hike) and enjoyed maneuvering our way up Fern Canyon, a mystical passageway with walls covered in ferns. We hiked through varied terrain - Redwoods, swamps, coastal trails. We also had more encounters with many elk - some that were right on the trail and didn't really want to let us by. After the hike, I felt the need to jump in the ocean, even though the air temperature was only around 55 degrees.

• Jennifer did some yoga on the beach