Today we made the trek to Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It included more than 6 miles on Gold Bluffs Beach Road, a narrow unpaved road through old growth forest on the coast. Our Honda Fit managed to cross a couple of shallow streams to get to the trailhead. There was a surprising amount of traffic considering the state of the road, but everyone was well behaved, so there were no issues.
The trail was not well marked, so it was good that Joani and Katie had read that we were supposed to just hike up the stream.
I tried to keep my shoes dry for a while. It was hopeless as the stream kept getting wider. I pictured myself slipping on a log and falling into the water with my camera, so I gave up and just walked through the two-inch deep water. My shoes had just about reached the end of their useful life, so getting them wet couldn't really make them any worse.
I managed to keep my feet dry all the way up the creek and almost all the way back. By the end, I was just walking down the middle of the creek.
Less than a quarter mile up the canyon we were blocked. One young lady told me you could climb over the logjam, but it was tricky and the ferns were much less impressive on the other side. I was convinced - this was as far as I went.
Almost back to the car, Joani spotted this big bull elk just a few dozen yards off of the trail. He was not intimidated by us at all and even took a break from eating to pose for me.
The Big Tree was on the way home and just a few minutes walk from a convenient parking lot along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. I had my tripod handy, so I was able to get this shot of a somewhat reluctant group to cap off the day's adventures.
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