Another Eastertide hike, another sign of rebirth. Along the crest of the Mayacamas Mountains south of Saint Helena all the peaks burned in the 2017 Nuns fire. You can’t tell from the lower slopes but once you get above 800 feet elevation you begin to see the charred woods. On a late afternoon hike to the crest from Redwood Road I was surprised to find this forest of young redwood trees. All the trunks were blackened, thin spindly remainders standing barren. And all around the base of the trees was bright new redwood growth, green shoots and needles reaching upward, cradling the older trees, surrounding their trunks with new life. An entire forest full.
It was really quite breathtaking; tranquil, serene and full of hope.