Mystery Coast Redwood #6
by Mario Vaden
The redwood below was one of the New Discoveries back in 2014. Chris Atkins is on the left side for scale. Star Trek happened to be part of that week's conversation and some redwood names followed that theme. The trunk is close to 19 ft. diameter, and reminds me of Howland Hill Giant. The vegetation around was incredibly thick. The red sweatshirt he picked sure stands out good to give an idea of size and scale.
When Richard Preston wrote The Wild Trees, more should have been shared about Chris. He's good bushwhacking company and great for conversation on a wide variety of subjects. Often, our base of operations was Prairie Creek campground even if we branched out into other parks. Chris's lodging choice was usually a small tent, and trying to twist his arm to get a motel room seemed like pulling teeth. My preference is motel, but I camped also. Lately (2020) Chris implied that he may be taking a liking to motel lodging.