by Heather Biggs
Over the long weekend in August, Ethan and I went up to Hogsback. It was a much-needed escape and one that I was secretly hoping would be extended, if we got snowed in!
When we got there our host told us about everything there was to do in the town. We listened politely and must have come off as looking very bored, because she got more and more nervous about our lack of enthusiasm over the treasures the village has to offer. That is, until she mentioned the redwoods.
Second on my bucket list of things to do in this lifetime, is go to the USA to see California Redwoods. The enormity of these trees is breathtaking. They live for centuries and grow wider than the foyer of the church hall! They create and control entire ecosystems. Not to mention they are the tallest trees in the world. Standing at the base of one, looking up is like looking at a stairway to the heavens. It never ends. All of this is to say, I really love redwoods and really really want to see one!
So, when our host mentioned that a California Redwood was growing in the Hogsback Arboretum, I actually started dancing! I was wriggling with excitement!! It had been a long day, and our quest for food took longer than anticipated, so we decided to go searching for it the following day.
Poor Ethan woke up the following morning to an over-excited amateur botanist who had temporarily forgotten her quest for snow in exchange for a desire to see the redwoods. We piled on layers and bundled ourselves out of the door as early as possible – 10am (a perfectly reasonable time to be starting your day on holiday!)
When we got to the Arboretum, we began our hunt. After a case of mistaken identity, where I got excited about the thickest pine tree I’d ever seen, we found them. Them! Not one redwood, FIVE!!!! All well over a century old. They were huge. Easily wider than a car. Stretching up forever. We couldn’t see the canopy from below because of the thicket of branches in between.
Ethan found a 40-year-old redwood branch nearby, that had recently fallen off. It was thicker than half of the twigs we call trees back home. Imagine seeing that fall off of the tree! When we left the park, and looked back, we were finally able to see the highest branches, a good 5m higher than any of the other trees in the canopy around them. Absolutely stunning trees. To stand by them, you can do nothing but be in awe of their grandeur.
So that is one bucket list item ticked (Although I’d still love to the see the 1000-year-old ones in California!) Another tree that I would love to see, are cedars in Lebanon. Like the redwoods, much of their habitat is long gone and the sprawling forests are a shadow of what they once were. For now, I will settle knowing I’ve seen at least 5 giants! Seeing these gigantic redwoods and seeing the deep colour changing tones inside the branch, I understand why so many were cut down for building houses.
The size of the beams that could come from these trees made me think of the Cedars of Lebanon again. The Bible and other sources capture ideas of how big they are, and of how their wood was reserved for regal uses. What better wood to use in the Temple then, than the wood of kings? It is decadent, the amount of precious cedar wood that was used to build the roof and furniture and wall panelling for the temple.
Whenever the temple is brought up, we talk of the ornate gold and gemstones used to decorate it. But of all the precious stones and gold that adorned that temple, perhaps the most beautiful treasure was the wood. The sacrifice of such beautiful living giants is just as, if not more valuable, than the cost of the pretty rocks that joined them. The temple truly must have been a glorious sight to behold. Truly a piece of heaven on earth.
Seeing the redwoods was a reminder of just how small we are. We as humans are given an enormous task, to care for our planet. Sometimes that means cutting down a tree to make something more beautiful, but the value of the time and endurance that went into that cannot be disregarded.
There is no moral or deeper message for this newsletter! This is just a reminder for us all to appreciate the simple and grandiose splendour around us. Go watch the waves on the beach tomorrow, take a trip to Addo, or simply sit outside and listen for the birds. We are truly blessed to live in and be caretakers of this world.
Much love in Christ
Heather B