Bushwhacking in Prairie Creek

John Montague and "The Bar-keep" 

I have done 99% of my redwood exploring solo, so I was excited to have the opportunity to do some redwood exploring with John Montague yesterday in Prairie Creek. John has a passion for redwoods, and for exploring deep into unexplored territory. He recently found the largest known single stem redwood known to exist at breast height, just a couple months ago.

We were looking for big trees, albinos, and tall redwoods and Doug firs. Measuring tall trees is something I rarely do, so it was fascinating watching John calculate and measure a few tall trees. I've often wandered the groves wondering how in the world guys like Michael Taylor or Chris Atkins have successfully measured the heights of the redwoods. John paid very close attention to detail and often would have to bushwhack up and down steep terrain just to make a few measurements. Fascinating stuff.

We also ventured deep into the forest and found a few large, undocumented trees, including my first encounter with a tree with a circumference over 70 feet. Above is a picture of one of the trees we found yesterday in the 50 foot circumference range that John named the "Bar-keep."

Overall, it was a full and rewarding day in the woods. Expect to hear more inspiring discoveries from the forests from John...