Portola Redwoods Hike (7-4-2012)

Hike: Portola Redwoods State Park
La Honda, San Mateo County

Hike along Camp Ground Trail,
Slate Creek Trail, Summit Trail
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Preface: This is our fourth hike in Portola Redwoods State Park since June 10, 2012. Just three days ago (July 1), we came here and hiked on the Old Tree Trail ending at the 305 feet tall Old Tree. Because of heavy fog, we left the Park at 6:15 pm after a 4-hours hike (Photos). Today we came an hour early starting at 1:30 pm on the Camp Ground Trail to Slate Creek Trail (2:15 pm) and Summit Trail (4:20 pm). After taking 20 goosepens photos on Sunday, 30 more were added on today's hike for my Platonic Lambda collection (Large Goosepen, Pair of Goosepens, Family of Four Goosepens). There was even a Tan Oak Goosepen on the Summit Trail. There were over a dozen Cutaway Logs encountered today's trails, more than any previous hikes. Near the end of Slate Creek Trail were two adjacent trees— the first was a "Straight Arrow" Redwood, erect as a sentinel on duty. The second tree was a "Meandering" Tan Oak with curving branches to the sky. From one vantage point, these two trees form a "X marks the spot" as if a buried pirate's treasure is nearby. I paused to ponder on the straight path (Psalms 27.11: "Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path") and crooked path (Luke 3.5: "the crooked shall be made straight"). It occurred to me that driving on a straight highway is boring while meandering on curving mountain roads is more scenic and beautiful. Our lives are never straight as envisioned. There are curves thrown at us that make our lives more interesting and mysterious. As much as I admire the straight redwoods, the meandering branches of oak trees appear more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Other scenic encounters include Tall Redwood Bordered, Spiral Tan Oak, and Sunflare on Page Mill Road coming home. We left the park near 7 pm with less fog on the road than last time. Below are 161 photos of today's adventure.

Row of Cypress Trees on Page Mill Road

Panoramic View on Alpine Road

View of Hills on Alpine Road

Mindego Hill on Alpine Road

Mindego Hill Closeup

Tree and Distant Foggy Hills

Portola Park Entrance

Redwood near Entrance

Redwood near Entrance (1)

Peters Creek from Trail Camp

Monster Root Redwood Trunk

Shelf Mushrooms on Log

"Dragon Head" Redwood Trunk

Criss-Cross Trees Camp Ground

Triangle of Logs Camp Ground

Thronelike Stump

"Megalith Sculpture"

Florence & Alan Huber Grove

Fallen Giant Redwood

Burl Head Redwood

Megalith & Goosepen Redwood

Sign to Slate Creek Trail

Burnt Out Goosepen Tree

"Inverted Y" Sculpture

Small Goospen Redwood

Bolton Memorial Grove Sign

Two Goosepen Redwoods

Bolton Grove Redwoods to Sky

Redwoods in Bolton Grove

Redwood Bordered by Neighbors

Giant Goosepen Redwood

Monster Redwood Trunk (1)

Giant Goosepen Tree Base (1)

Bolton Family Bench

Giant Goosepen Tree Base

"Hare Image" in Goosepen

"Platonic Lambda" Redwood

Peter Inside Goosepen Tree

Inside Goosepen View

"Giant Bird Beak" Redwood Trunk

Cutaway Log on Slate Creek Trail

Herbert Bolton Bench Sign

Root of Cutaway Logs

Hideaway Hole at Trail Bend

Arch Tan Oak on Slate Creek Trail

Arch Tree & Giant Redwood Root

Passage through Two Giants

"Giant Bird Beak" on Trail

"V Trees" on Trail Descent

Goosepen Redwood

Goosepen Redwood Midsection

Sunflare & Goosepen Treetop

Arch Tree on Trail

Goosepen Redwood

Arch Tree & Goosepen

After Passing through Two Giants

Pair of Goosepen Redwoods Top

V-Trunk Goosepen Redwood

Sculpturesque Trunk

Pair Goosepen Bottom

Pair Goosepen Midsection

V-Trunk Goosepen to the Sky

Slanted Goosepens Bottom

Fallen "Stegosaurus" Redwood

Cutaway Log on Slate Creek Trail

Three Goosepens on Trail

Arch Tree & Cutaway Log

"Bird Beak" Trunk to Sky

"Big Leaf" Image in Redwood

"Big Leaf" Tree Top (Middle)

"Straight Arrow" Redwood

Meandering Tan Oak

X-Forming Trees

Footbridge in Shade on Slate Creek Trail

Fallen Giant Redwood Log

Diagonal Tan Oak on Summit Trail

Pair Goosepen Redwoods

Pair Goosepen Redwoods Top

Old Goosepen Redwood

Old Goosepen Redwood Top

Summit & Slate Trail Sign

Goosepen on Trail

Small Goosepen Redwood

Small Goosepen Redwood Top

"Giant Horned Beast" Trunk on Trail

Herbert & Ethel MacNeal Memorial Grove

Horizontal Tan Oak on Trail

Goosepen Redwood

Goosepen Redwood Top

Three Goosepens to Sky

Goosepen Tree Top (Bottom)

Old Redwood

Armlike Branch Redwood

Y-Shape Tan Oak

Sunlight through Tan Oaks (1)

Through Two Giant Redwoods

Top of Two Giant Redwoods

Goosepen Redwood

Goosepen Redwood Top

Hurdle to Goosepen Redwood

"Animal Heads" Image in Fallen Trunk

Summit Trail Signpost (1)

Tan Oak Leaves Summit Trail

Branches on Top of Redwood

Ladder Branches on Redwood

Between Two Goosepens

Rare Tan Oak Goosepen

V-Branches of Tan Oak

Fallen Trunks on Trail

"Head of Bullhorn" Trunk

Summit Trail View on Top

Summit Trail Top Circle (1)

Down Summit Trail from Top

Between Two Goosepens on Trail

Burnt Out Goosepen by Trail

"Giant Bullhorn" Redwood Trunk

"Crocodile" Trunk on Trail

Duck Your Head to Get Under Logs

After Passing Fallen Logs

Tall Redwoods in Sunlight

Sunlight Through Redwoods

Family of Four Goosepens

"Sherman" (Sherman's Lagoon)

Family of Four Goosepen Redwoods

"UFO Craft" Image in Debris

Stairs Down Summit Trail

"Boar Head" Image on Trunk

Bullseye Trunk Slice

Fallen Redwood by Trail

Sunflare Through Redwoods

Tall Redwood Bordered

Two Water Tanks (1)

Spiral Tan Oak

Spiral Grooves Closeup

Spiral Tan Oak to Sky

Sunflare on Three Redwoods

Redwood in Sunlight

Danger Steep Bank Sign

Summit Trail Sign near Service Road

Old Haul Road Sign

Banana Slug Surprise on Service Road

Fence on Service Road

"Boot" Tree Stump by Fence

Monster Trunk near Amphitheatre

Monster Trunk Closeup

Provis Gailie Hopkins Bench

Face in Stump near Hopkins Bench

Tuning Fork Tan Oak

Sunlight on Tall Redwood

Hopkins Grove near Entrance

Fog Clouds & Trees (Portola State Park Rd)

Mailbox #272 (350 Portola State Park Road)

Foggy Hills & Trees on Alpine Road

Monte Bello Open Space (Board)

Sunflare on Page Mill Road

Foggy Valley from Page Mill Road (1)

Sunflare & Fog Bank (Page Mill Road)

Fog Bank on Page Mill Road (Bikers)

Sun Through Trees & Fog Bank

— Photographs by Peter Y. Chou, July 4, 2012