Maximus in Redwood National Park

by Mario Vaden

 

The coast redwood Maximus shown below was found in Redwood National Park exploring with Chris Atkins. It was one of the first among the new era of redwood discovery. Previous years of exploration seemed to climax with a titan grove up in Jedediah Redwoods State Park around 1998, due to low expectations, described in a book The Wild Trees. In that redwood book, Richard Preston emphasized that nothing comparable remained to find in the old growth redwood forests. He quoted Dr. Robert Van Pelt to seal that emphasis. And big tree hunting for coast redwoods dwindled like a candle burning out. But around 2008 - 2010 a few new discoveries became like a stage curtain parting open for an encore. More discoveries continued ... especially in 2014 and 2015 with redwoods like The Big Kahuna, 867-5309 and others. Maximus lurks deep in Redwood National Park on a secluded bench of soil perched up on a hillside east of Orick, above Redwood Creek. The chance of finding this redwood is finite, but I thought readers would appreciate a glimpse of this hidden giant. Maximus is a short bushwhack beyond the Twin Towers of Humboldt

 

Image below: Chris Atkins shown for scale. The tall foreground plant is Rhododendron macrophyllum. Other vegetation includes Salal and Sword Fern.