Big Sur Ents

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.
~ Hermann Hesse, Wandering”


 

Highways through the RedwoodsAt about twenty miles south of Carmel, the highway dips back into the forest, pulling me through a magical transformation from a breezy open seafront ride to a quiet and still ride through massive redwoods that are hundreds of years old. The road weaves through lush forest studded with redwood giants for about ten miles, a mixture of state park lands and private property with a gentle and hushed quality.

I’m deeper into Big Sur country now, and the sense of remoteness surprises me. Thousands of cars must drive this road each day when it’s not closed, enjoying the scenery, buying food and fuel from the little general stores that dot the side of the road occasionally, eating in the quaint little bars and restaurants. Yet, the sense of remoteness remains.

There’s a mystique to the place. It feels wild and untamed. Towering redwoods line the road. The unique coastal climate creates a tropical lushness in the forest. My mood and mindset have changed as I’ve moved into and through the forest. I feel more relaxed, less scattered, more basic. I stop a couple of times next to large redwoods, lean against them, press my hand to the bark. Ancient trees have a wonderful energy. Their time horizon is beyond what we can imagine. Closing my eyes, I can imagine Ents talking in deep and slow voices…

I’m reminded of my grandfather and grandmother. He lived to be almost 100, she to 101. Sitting with them always wrapped me in a unique sense of time and significance. The world they were part of was much bigger and broader than mine. I hadn’t lived enough years yet to have such a broad world. Yet, while I sat with them, I could feel their world. The breadth of it would wrap around me and make me feel a small part of it while we sat together and I listened to their stories.

My world is getting more broad as the years tick past. The things that seemed so urgent and critical to me when my children were young seem less significant now. My perspective has evolved as my world has grown. I can only imagine what it must feel like to view the world with the wisdom earned as a hundred winters pass.

Big Sur Coastline

That’s why we need extended families. We need grandparents to help raise our children. Their perspective is more broad, and they’ve hopefully gained wisdom and understanding along the way. While their eyes may have started to dim, they see more clearly than is possible without the experience behind those eyes.

I miss those grandparents, and think of them as I rest my hand on the trunk of an ancient redwood. I imagine them quietly and patiently touching me back through that trunk, smiling, staring from a world too big for me to imagine.


Pilgrim Wheels Excerpts This post is part of a series of posts, representing excerpts from Pilgrim Wheels, a story of a cycling journey across America. Pilgrim Wheels will be released in early March, let me know if you’re interested in doing an advance review.

 


Pilgrim Wheels Excerpts This post is part of a series of posts, representing excerpts from Pilgrim Wheels, a story of a cycling journey across America. Pilgrim Wheels will be released in early March, let me know if you’re interested in doing an advance review.

 

 

Author: Neil Hanson

Neil administers this site and manages content.