This one’s out of order because it was the day before the Caulfield loop I’ve already posted, but oh well. This ride was up the Seymour Valley once again, this time with a tape measure in hand and a plan to measure the big Sitka spruce trees I was familiar with in the valley. Most notably this includes the pair of ~500 year old examples along Rainbow Creek near Seymour Lake, but also a big fella I’d noticed just about 30m off Fisherman’s trail too.
Here is that latter Sitka; not bad right?
I measured that tree on the way out but continued on to Spur 4 towards Seymour Lake. The photo below I’d stopped to listen to and observe some birds, turned out to be a Hammond’s Flycatcher so I added a new bird to my personal list! Took a while to find them, but then got a good show.
Near the north end of Spur 4 there’s a tree called Bigfoot, and I know this because it has a placard saying as much. It’s an impressive red cedar; the one in the photo below left is a different, slightly smaller one about 50m before it. However I peered into the woods here because I figured if there’s two big trees, there’s reason to believe there will be more. And sure enough – there’s a lot of them in this spot!
I climbed up the slope and checked out a handful of them before returning down to my bike. It was a bit of a side quest that I hadn’t budgeted time for, so I figured I’ll come back for a more proper exploration. But for now, I looped around Bear Island and onto Hatchery Trail:
This gloriously picturesque trail leads to Rainbow Creek trail where my favourite pair of old Sitka Spruce reside. But before I got to them I had to take a moment to appreciate the rather substantial size of this creekside tree:
I did measure it, but it wasn’t as substantial as some others in the area. Onto Rainbow Creek trail, and shortly before reaching the old spruce trees there’s this immensely green section of trail that is probably the most beautiful bit of trail I’ve ever experienced. Every time I am in awe, even though I’ve ridden this dozens of times.
text
First I measured the tree that sits across from the one with the viewing deck; it’s clearly the smaller of the two but I would say its presence is more dramatic with more substantial branching covered in hanging moss. It’s certainly no small tree as well, as you can see by my insignificance beside it:
Here’s as best as I could do at capturing its presence:
The Bombadil is barely noticeable among these giants.
On the way out along the parkway I stopped at this large tree I’ve noticed before – a hemlock, I believe – and gave it a measure as well. It actually measured up over 2m diameter which is quite significant for a hemlock around here! Thousands of people ride past this tree each week, so it’s by no means a secret, but still felt significant.
Onwards I went towards home. Below is near the mid-valley lookout. I didn’t take any more photos on my way out because I’ve pretty much photographed everything there is to photographic along Fishermans’ trail. But it was a beautiful ride, about 55km all told.
Leave a Reply