Around on the 'wet side' - facing the Pacific - is a vast stretch of rain forest. This area gets up to 13' (right, Feet!) of precipitation a year. This is one of the largest Sitka Spruce trees in the world. You really feel small - and temporary- walking in these old-growth forests.
Under the enormous Spruce, Hemlock, Cedar, Fir and Maple are ferns and mosses of every type. Nothing that grows is harvested here in the NP, and nothing that falls is wasted by nature. Many of the young trees were found growing out of the fallen ones. Only the strongest survive some of the winter storms they get here.
A Ranger shared that recent tests of the trees with radioactive isotopes proved that within 24 hrs moisture and nutrient could be absorbed by leaves on one tree and transferred by roots to trees a hundred yards away! (Maybe the movie Avatar was on to something?!!)
The rapid and unfettered growth - and the way trees too close together are absorbed into one - makes for really eye-catching shapes.
My eye is always caught by this particular shape:)
Ava thought this looked like Ent Gary.
I wasn't so sure - I tend to wear my hair shorter now,
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