September 4 - Wild Woods

There’s a special piece of forest about 50 miles east of Prince George called the Ancient Forest. The story is that a combination of mountain ranges and weather patterns has created a small area of temperate rain forest in what is otherwise a drier area and this has allowed giant cedars to grow, some for the last 2000 years. That’s the official story. After visiting there today, I know the real scoop. There’s a space/time portal in the mountains of British Columbia that goes directly into the heart of Fangorn Forest on Middle Earth. We spent a magical afternoon there today.

We climbed a moderately steep path up through standard pine, cedar and aspen, and then turned a corner and were in a deep, dark forest where everything was giant sized. The green leaves of the plants covering the forest floor were a foot across (and lined with thorns on the stems – there weren’t any extemporaneous paths. No one leaves the path with those nasty plants guarding the forest floor.) At first there were bird songs but as we went farther along the path it got completely silent. Even our footsteps were muffled in the layer of cedar chips on the path. As we got to the largest trees, there were signs telling their names and written as if the trees themselves were speaking. There is even a Treebeard, who told about the centuries he has stood, watching over the secret forest.

It's a place where you have to look carefully, because among the gigantic leaves and tree trunks are delicate lichens, and tiny little rivulets watering the roots. It was a lovely, very magical outing.